It felt like it would never happen. Something so out of reach perhaps like an act of god. Some of us have waited our entire lives, especially the kids who grew up in the post Kirk Gibson era. When the Dodgers last won the World Series I was about 8 years old. Today the black cloud was finally lifted. The skies cleared and the drought finally mercifully ended. The Dodgers won the World Series. Mark this day on your calendar, October 27, 2020 the day the Dodgers ended the 32-year championship drought.
We’ve been through a lot as Dodger fans. From the awful Fox era, to Frank McCourt, to bankruptcy through mediocrity, through postseason heartbreak. Now we can finally breathe. We can finally scream and shout to the heavens! THE DODGERS ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! Say that again and again and again and again. Those six beautiful words have never sounded so incredible.
The sixth game of the World Series was a taught pitching duel. Dodger’s starter Tony Gonsolin only lasted an inning and a third, giving up a solo home run to Randy Arozarena in the top of the first. The Dodgers were unable to hit opposing starter Blake Snell who struck out nine and allowed just two hits over 5.2 innings pitched.
World Series Game 6
Rays 1 5 0
Dodgers 3 5 0
WP-Gonzalez-1-0
LP-Anderson-1-1
SV-Urias-1
HR-Arozarena-3
For some reason Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash removed Snell with one out in the bottom of the sixth after Austin Barnes reached on a base hit. Mookie Betts immediately doubled down the left field line to send Barnes to third. The Dodgers used some small ball to score two more and take the lead. A wild pitch scored Barnes and then Mookie scored on a Corey Seager grounder to first. Mookie was running on contact and his terrific slide to the side of the plate gave the Dodgers the lead.
For good measure Mookie added a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to extend the Dodger’s lead to 3-1. In the end, the Dodger bullpen came through with flying colors. Dylan Floro, Alex Wood, Brusdar Graterol, Victor Gonzalez and Julio Urias held the Rays for the remainder of the game. The final lout was recorded by Urias as he struck out Willy Adames on a called third strike. Urias raised his hands to the sky as the Dodgers filed onto the field in celebration. Corey Seager was named World Series MVP.
Check out the World Series Trophy presentation. I’ll have more to say later. For now I am just going to leave you all with these words……WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!
FINALLY!!!!
FiNALLY is right, Scott! OMG…. things got off to a strange start. Poor Gonsolin, again, just did not have it. He could not consistently find the strike zone, and in the process threw way too many pitches (48), yet he was still able to collect 4 K’s in his 1.2 innings of work. But, Randy Arozarena scored the first run with a monstrous HR off of Gonsolin in the first. Gonsolin did an OK job just holding them to the one run while Snell, again, dominated the Dodgers, striking out 9 in 5.1 innings. Then, suddenly Austin Barnes broke through with a hit, and Cash immediately yanked Snell in favor of Anderson. Cash, cashed out too early, and that was all the hungry Dodger hitters needed. Dodgers scored 2 in the 6th, Anderson allowing inherited runner, Barnes to score, and another run of his own. Betts added a HR In the 8th off of Fairbanks, to hammer the last nail in the Ray’s coffin.
The Dodger relievers did an incredible job mopping up for Gonsolin, and passed the baton…. six relievers put up goose eggs. Floro, to Wood, to Baez, to Gonzalez, to Graderol, And finally to Urias, who slammed the door shut before DR could call on Jansen. Austin Barnes not only was responsible for chasing Snell, he also skillfully steered the relief crew to 7.1 shutout innings.
Lots of candidates for MVP, but the award went to Cory Seager, and deservingly so. I really thought there would be three MVP’s…. Seager, Kershaw, and Urias. But, the stealth MVP in my mind was Austin Barnes.
Congrats to all the Dodgers. Congrats to DR… Cash made him look like a genius. Sad that JT had to be pulled from the game, due to positive COVID test, and could not celebrate with his teammates. I have a feeling it was a false positive… I am hoping it was. He was the leader in the clubhouse, making sure his teammates were following the protocols.
Thanks Scott, it has been a long, but very short, wild ride, but LA finally brought the WS Trophy back home to where it belongs, and hopefully it will stay for a while.