Dodgers Lead The 60 Game Season, 2020 World Series 3 Games to 2

After a (4-2) game 5 win, exactly 39 years (that one was played during the day) after another that put them up 3 games to 2 in a World Series, the L.A. Dodgers can win their 7th title with a win in game 6 tonight.

In #5, the Dodgers (6-14) in World Series play (5-6) as L.A.), got a (3-0) lead vs now 2 time World Series losing pitcher, Tyler Glasnow of the Rays (0-1) in previous W.S.).

Glasnow again made it easier, for long time playoffs bust/regular season great, Clayton Kershaw, the latter getting far too much credit. (Someone named Passan wrote these 2 wins by Kershaw, make up for his many post-season failures. It does not just as it does not for Alex Rodriguez, who somehow gets a free pass in life or Barry Bonds, who does get criticism and unlike Rodriguez, did not even win one title).

Mookie Betts doubled and Corey Seager drove him home. The Dodgers led (1-0) before they made an out, achieving an “L.A. ” first inning “prop” win for a third straight tilt. The Rays won the first inning of game 2 in the Snell/Gonsolin matchup, which has a redux tonight.

Cody Bellinger “tuned” in a second first inning run while Joc Pederson and Max Muncy (I would consider Muncy the series MVP through 5 games by a close margin) added home runs for the Dodgers, who led (3-0), (3-2) and won (4-2) in the tilt.

Kershaw coughed up two thirds of his lead and faced a “corners” none out situation in the bottom of the fourth. Credit him for getting the next 2 batters, no advance and then he stepped off the pitching rubber and despite his “high set” threw home to catcher Will Smith to get Mr. Margot, who attempted a steal of home.

Muncy homered with 2 outs in the top of the 5th vs Glasnow, who is on track to be a “reg” good/’offs bad pitcher (certainly World Series) and that ended the scoring.

Even long, red haired, hard throwing Dustin May was effective and now the Dodgers, with their fans making the Arlington Texas setting, far from neutral are likely, but not certain to title in Arlington, where they overcame a (3-1) NLCS deficit to “7” the Braves and where their long time arch rivals, the Giants ended a 56 year title drought, just under 10 years ago.

The first 5 games of this series were played on the exact same day/date as the first 5 of the 1981 World Series. #6 was scheduled for Tuesday October 27th (today’s date as well) but was postponed. The Dodgers won their 5th title, the next night, Wednesday October 28th.

That season was far from a full one due to a player’s strike while this one, of course spanned but 60 regular season games due to the coronavirus, which sadly is still very much in evidence.

The last six times and in all but one (1906) of the seven times  (1997,1962, 1946, 1940, 1924, 1909 1946), that teams alternated victories in the first 5 games of the World Series, the trailing team won game 6. The ’97 Marlins vs the Cleveland Indians, ’62 Yankees vs the Giants and 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates vs the Detroit Tigers “recovered” and won game 7. In ’46, the Cardinals won both games 6 and 7 to beat the Boston Red Sox. Ditto the Cincinnati Reds also vs the Tigers in 1940 and the Washington Senators vs the New York Giants in 1924. Only the 1906 White Sox vs their intra city rivals, the Chicago Cubs won game 6 in that scenario.

 

Corey Seager,pictured above.