This is worse than Howie Kendrick’s grand slam for the Washington Nationals. This is worse than being overrun by the Chicago Cubs. This is worse than Corey Seager failing to cover third base against the New York Mets. This is worse than Clayton Kershaw’s meltdowns against the St. This is the best example of why many fans have been unable to enjoy the six months of winning without waiting for the other shoe to drop.Īnd this time that shoe belongs to the San Diego freaking Padres? This painfully punctuates the narrative scripted by the Dodgers postseason failures during their past 10 years of regular season domination. There’s nothing Roberts could say about any of it, really. Roberts was particularly biting about Kim’s double past Muncy, saying, “Muncy could have fielded it, it could have been a double play, but it wasn’t meant to be.” Roberts said he was saving Phillips to finish the game, but isn’t finishing a high-leverage situation more important than finishing the game? “I don’t know how it got lost in translation,” said Roberts and one must wonder, with a million coaches and advisors, how can the Dodgers lose something in translation? Through all this, how was Juan Soto allowed to stroll to second base without a throw just before Cronenworth’s hit?Īfterward Roberts explained that Almonte wasn’t supposed to make that first pitch to Cronenworth, he was supposed to throw over to first, but the sign was never picked up. This is the best example of why many fans have been unable to enjoy the six months of winning without waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then, after two runs had scored and Cronenworth came to the plate with runners on second and third and two out, why did Roberts allow Almonte to throw one pitch - a ball - before bringing in Vesia, who gave up the game-winning double moments later? And again, why wait until the ninth inning to bring in Phillips? The man who has been perceived as the villain in so many of these collapses will take the heat again, questioned all winter for the decisions that led to that fateful inning.įirst, why was Tyler Anderson pulled after five innings of a two-hit shutout? Then, with the bases loaded and none out in the seventh after a walk and two singles against Tommy Kahnle, where was top reliever Evan Phillips? Why did Roberts bring in Yency Almonte instead? Andrew Friedman also needs to be scrutinized.Īfter the hit, after the loss, after the Dodgers and their wet uniforms disappeared into the night, the focus returned squarely to Roberts. Nine West Division championships, and just one World Series championship, in a COVID-shortened season of just 60 games, the 2020 title looking more deserving of an asterisk with each passing nightmare.ĭodgers Hernández: Blame Andrew Friedman’s roster construction, pitcher strategy for Dodgers’ collapseĭodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t deserve all the blame for the Dodgers’ season ending in grim fashion. Ten postseason appearances, nine postseason failures. So will the sight of the league’s best offense spinning and staggered, the sight of the league’s best bullpen lost in confusion, the sight of the league’s most powerful franchise over the last decade crumbling under the pressure. The Petco chants of “Beat L.A” and the sight of thousands of flapping yellow towels will live in Dodgers lore forever. The Dodgers won 22 more games than the Padres during the long summer, yet they could beat them only once in four October tries.īased on difference in regular-season winning percentage, this was the second-biggest upset in postseason history, and the biggest in 116 years. They won more regular games than all but three teams in major-league history, yet their postseason lasted all of four nights. Little brother has knocked out big brother.
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