A season that began with lofty expectations and talks of a dynasty is now on the verge of going by the wayside as the Los Angeles Dodgers face elimination against the Toronto Blue Jays with the World Series shifting to Rogers Centre.
The Dodgers went into the postseason with a 12th National League West title in the last 13 years but as a Wild Card team. They easily swept the Cincinnati Reds, then dispatched of the Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the NL Division Series.
Many believed the eventual World Series champion would come from that matchup, though the Dodgers did have to face the team with the best record in the Milwaukee Brewers. They proved to be no match for baseball’s proverbial juggernaut as the Dodgers swept the NLCS to improve to 9-1 in the postseason.
Then came a shellacking at the hands of the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the World Series, followed by the Dodgers clawing out a win the next night. The World Series shifting to Dodger Stadium for three games didn’t yield positive results as the Blue Jays won two of the contests.
The Dodgers’ latest defeat saw the team score just one run and only muster four hits. Trey Yesavage broke Don Newcombe’s rookie record for most strikeouts in a World Series game with 12. Newcombe had 11 in Game 1 of the 1949 World Series.
The lone run Yesavage allowed came via a Kiké Hernández homer. Hernández has put together another productive postseason, but there have been multiple moments where he — like many teammates — has come up short.
“It seems like at-bats are snowballing on us right now,” Hernández said after the Dodgers’ 6-1 loss. “We’re getting pitches to hit, we’re missing them and then we’re expanding the zone with two strikes. I think the best thing that can happen for us is a day off.
“Get a day to regroup, and figure it out. As a group, it’s time for us to show our character and put up a fight. See what happens.”
Hernández then was asked if he felt the Dodgers were falling short in putting forth necessary effort.
“I wouldn’t say there hasn’t been enough fight. [Tuesday] night we were a little bit flat and tonight, three pitches into the game we were down 2-0 and he was on,” he answered. “Yesavage was on. The slider was really good. Hitting creates energy, and we weren’t getting hits so we weren’t doing what it takes to find that energy.
“It’s tough right now, but I think we’re going to be all right.”
Freddie Freeman agrees with Kiké Hernández
Freddie Freeman echoed some of Hernández’s sentiment regarding the Dodgers’ offense and possibly benefiting from a day off prior to playing Game 6.
“We all know what we’re capable of, and we haven’t done it for two games. Maybe the day off will cool them down over there and reunite us,” Freeman said.
“We faced this last year when we were down 2-1 to the Padres, and we won two games in a row. So we can do it again.”
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