CELEBRATE OUR

Through October 15th

East L.A. Sports Scene Productions

(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The following is our account of this National League Divisional Series, (NLDS) Game 5 finale, between the San Diego Padres and our Los Angeles Dodgers. Tied at two games apiece, this game couldn’t have been more crucial and more awaited than the previous four. Due to the vast Southern California rivalry’s progressive bad blood that has been displayed through the most recent years of battling each other for supremacy in the National League West, it would all come down to a “do or die” type of contest.

However, this series was more tense than those in the past, due to the provocative Manny Machado incident in game three at Dodger Stadium because of his end of the mid-inning warm-up throw into the Dodgers dugout which was allegedly, or interpreted to be, directed at Manager Dave Roberts. The professional line of disrespect and dishonor was apparently crossed in the minds of many because of that act and MLB subsequently launched an investigation into the incident.

Known to nearly all baseball fans, the post-season progressions go like this. The winner of this NLDS is rewarded with the coveted opportunity to next compete in the 2024 NLCS, and whoever wins that, earns their team’s greatest goal talked about in the pre-season, and that is simply and hopefully, in this particular case for our Los Angeles Dodgers, the accomplishment of competing for our City of the Angels in the 2024 World Series.

DODGERS WIN BIG ON HERNÁNDEZ COMBINATION OF HEAVYWEIGHT POWER PUNCHES

(Los Angeles, CA) The stage was set for this comparable heavyweight title bout between the San Diego Padres and our L.A. Dodgers to determine the winner who would then advance to the next round of Post-season playoffs, known as the National League Championship Series (NLCS). Thus, on Friday, October 11th. inside of Dodger Stadium, the atmosphere was truly electric as some 53,000+ fans made their way in to be witnesses to MLB at its very best.

[Game Summary]

As in the first four games, fans were well aware that the game scoring took place in the first 3-4 innings. Ditto for this one, as Dodgers Manager, Dave Roberts inserted #8 Enrique “Kiké” Hernández into the line-up to replace his injured shortstop, #11 Miguel Rojas. Due to Kiké’s veteran years of utility experience and total MLB playoff expertise, Roberts penciled him in to start as his centerfielder. Then Hernández strode up to the plate in the 2nd inning with 2-out for his first at-bat against Padres starting pitcher, righthander, #11 Yu Darvish. With the tremendous sound of the “crack of the bat,” he blasted a powerful, solo 428′ home run deep into the left-centerfield pavilion for the Dodgers’ first run. It most likely sounded the decibel alerts on many fans’ smart devices as Hernández rounded the bases on his home-run trot.

But let’s recap just a little and start with the biggest question that the Dodgers Manager, Dave Roberts, faced in naming his starting pitcher, #18 Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for the deciding game 5. From the opening Padres at-bats, the game was watched by the “sold-out” crowd and scrutinized by media members and fans alike, as a potential pitchers’ duel between Darvish and Yamamoto, who started strongly for the Dodgers. Manager Roberts had publicly confided that his pitcher would be up for the game since they had worked out some of the flaws that negatively impacted him in Game 1.

The Dodgers’ anxieties dropped a level or two as Yamamoto looked sharp with his assortment of pitches and was ready and eager to perform well, despite the skeptics who thought otherwise. Then, as we mentioned in our opening paragraph, the historical Kiké Hernández solo home run wallop occurred to calm everyone’s nerves to a degree. The game moved along persistently through the middle innings as Darvish remained in the game while Roberts lifted Yamamoto after his 5th complete scoreless inning of work.

San Diego Manager, Michael Schildt lifted Darvish after two outs in the 7th, immediately after he surrendered his second home run pitch of the game, this time to Teoscar Hernández, for the biggest hit and home run to date of his Dodgers playing career. With that feat, the Dodgervision scoreboard promptly lighted up with another number added to it showing a small, but confident (2-0) lead.

In all of this great citywide Big Blue excitement, we have to say Muchas Gracias! and give much gratitude to our city’s new “Mr. Clutch,” Teoscar Hernández. Once again, he continues to grow in becoming an esteemed fan favorite with his play while his popular #37 jersey has become a very prized and fashionable acquisition. Teoscar’s enjoyment of playing this game, his own “on-base” animations, and teammate celebratory approvals, are always keen to watch as his fulfillment of playing on a team that can go deep into the post-season, was on full display, especially for FOX-S1, and the MLB “Live” streaming viewers. 

And after the 7th inning, with their slim (2-0) lead, the Dodgers played “lock-down” defense in strong support for its bullpen. Manager Roberts skillfully picked each of his relievers for the circumstances that were presented to him.

Over the final two innings, all eyes from the crowd centered and focused on the relievers that Roberts asked to come in from the bullpen to solidify the pressured attack on the Padres batters while keeping them at bay with not very many batters allowed to reach first base, nor mounting any offensive surges to tie the game with its power and situational hitters, like Fernando Tatis, Jr., Manny Machado, Luís Arraez, Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, and Jurickson Profar, etc.

And rightly so, the game kudos all went to the team’s bullpen in the persons of #59 Evan Phillips, #51 Alex Vesia, #45 Mike Kopech, and #49 Blake Treinen, who retired the side in the 9th to the wild and thunderous roar and applause of the 53,183 delirious fans.

And with the final out, Dodger Stadium erupted into a gigantic sound chamber with very high decibel readings. The joyous celebration was on and lasted for a while as the Dodgers conducted their team “end-of-game” congrats played to the tune of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”  Next there was the issuing of the customary baseball caps and T-shirts that read Dodgers NLDS 2024 Champions and the snapping of the mandatory Team Photo. When all that ended, elated fans gradually exited the Stadium and went home in great moods as the Game 1-winning thoughts of the Sunday match-up with the New York Mets, coming in on Sunday, were already visible in their heads and their minds. We now leave our followers and all of our Dodgers fans with the old saying, “The winners write the history!”

[Winning Pitcher]: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0); [Save]: Blake Treinen

[Time]: 2:26  [Attendance]: 53,183