The Los Angeles Dodgers tied a franchise record with 106 wins during the regular season, but had their streak of consecutive National League West titles snapped at eight by the San Francisco Giants, who finished one game ahead in the standings.
The teams were evenly matched for most of the year, with the Giants winning 10 of 19 head-to-head meetings, but the Dodgers posted a +3 run differential in those contests.
The longtime rivals faced off again in the NL Division Series, marking the teams’ first ever postseason battle. The matchup fittingly came down to a winner-take-all Game 5 at Oracle Park on Thursday, which saw the Dodgers earn a hard-fought victory.
Retired broadcaster Vin Scully, who called plenty of memorable Dodgers-Giants games during his career, believes the elimination contest is the most significant in the history of the teams’ rivalry.
To my knowledge, tonight's game between the @Dodgers and @SFGiants is the most important game in the history of their rivalry. With nearly identical records, and so much at stake, I believe this to be the case.
— Vin Scully (@TheVinScully) October 14, 2021
Many of you might consider the 1951 game for the NL pennant to be bigger. Perhaps, but that was more about the greatest moment with Bobby Thomson's game-winning home run.
— Vin Scully (@TheVinScully) October 14, 2021
I have one prayer for tonight's game. However it's decided, I hope there's no goat, no single player to shoulder the blame for a loss like Bill Buckner in the 1986 series between the @RedSox and @Mets.
— Vin Scully (@TheVinScully) October 14, 2021
“Now I feel pressure. Gosh darn it, Vin,” Roberts jokingly said before Game 5 when the tweets were brought to his attention. “I really don’t like to get beyond one game, so thanks for sharing that.
“I mean, yeah, to kind of take my manager’s cap off, it’s a great day, it’s a big game. For Vin to say that, no one knows this rivalry better than he does, so it just gives you the gravity of what it means.
“And it’s bigger than just one game and that’s what’s beautiful about this rivalry, sports in general. So we’re going to enjoy it, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Dodgers benefit from check swing
While there wasn’t a fielding error that determined the outcome of Game 5, the contest did have a controversial ending as first-base umpire Gabe Morales incorrectly called Wilmer Flores out on a check-swing that sent the Dodgers to the NLCS.
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