The Los Angeles Dodgers avoided elimination Tuesday behind a thrilling victory over the Washington Nationals in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Beyond Clayton Kershaw pitching on short rest and Chase Utley delivering the go-ahead hit, Joc Pederson was among those to make a key play.
With the Dodgers holding a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning, Pederson drove an RBI double to the opposite field with two outs. The extra-base hit came with some embarrassment as Pederson’s initial reaction suggested he believed he’d hit a home run.
While the run-scoring double was pivotal for the Dodgers, so was Pederson’s diving catch in the sixth inning.
Jayson Werth led off with a single and was standing on first base with one out when Anthony Rendon stepped to the plate. Rendon hit a sinking liner to the gap that Pederson made a diving catch on to rob Rendon of an extra-base hit and potential RBI:
Kershaw then struck out Ryan Zimmerman to strand Werth. After the Dodgers win, an exhausted Kershaw referred to Pederson’s catch as arguably the biggest play in the game.
“That inning they hit some balls hard, to get that guy out was huge,” Kershaw said. “It could’ve very easily been first and third right there.”
