The Dodgers Win Their 7th Title, 6th as Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays (3-1) in game 6, to win their seventh World Series crown, sixth as the Los Angeles Dodgers, after leaving Brooklyn and its fans heartbroken, after the 1957 season.

Down (1-0) and having been stymied by Rays’ starter, Blake Snell, the Dodgers went ahead B6, when after Austin Barnes singled with one out, Kevin Cash opted for Nick Anderson to replace Snell.

Mookie Betts “greeted” Anderson (hey “they” keep unfairly knocking Bill Buckner, so I cite another Nick Anderson, a good player, but one who missed 4 free throws, I believe somehow in one sequence at a crucial time in game 1/’95 NBA final for an Orlando Magic team, which like fellow North Florida team, the Rays, stands (0-2) in final round play, at this moment and probably for a long time) with a double, that sent Barnes to third.

Next, Anderson uncorked one of the most damaging wild pitches in baseball annals, (alas though maybe it should have been a Rich Gedman passed ball,  I “must” cite that Bob Stanley was charged with a fateful wild pitch, that enabled the Mets to tie #6/’86 W.S. vs Boston, yet that is cited exponentially less, than the play involving Buckner) as Barnes scored the tying run and Mookie (another Mookie, namely Wilson, was at bat for both the tying and winning runs in that #6 Mets’ win en route to a title clinched 2 nights later and 34 years to the date, before Mookie and the Dodgers “titled” last night) went to third with just one out.

Corey Seager, who was named W.S. MVP (I would have opted for someone else, maybe Mookie or Max Muncy) hit a fielder’s “choi”ce as T.B. first sacker, Choi threw home, but too late, to get a “pumping” Mookie Betts.

Since they won, all the L.A. pitchers deserve “mucho credito,” even starter Tony Gonsolin, who survived the first inning, yielding one run as Randy Arozarena hit yet another home run. As I watched that part, I missed most of the rest–did see the end, but my recording did not manifest, I scoffed at the telecast, which continually showed Arozarena.

A key spot was T2, when “Mr.” Roberts, just the third Dodgers manager to title, (they have played 115 seasons with a title possibility)— the great Walt Alston and the highly over rated Tom Lasorda, being the others—lifted Gonsolin and opted for Dylan Floro, who fanned Arozarena.

L.A. got an insurance run B8 (Mookie homered) and Mr. Urias, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth up a run in #7 NLCS vs the Braves, hurled 2 and a third scoreless innings.

Only the Chicago White Sox, 114 years earlier, other than 2020 L.A. last night, won games 1, 3, 5 and 6 of the World Series.

There is so much going through me, certainly the fact I once loved both the Lakers and Dodgers, now each is an “anti” team, although now that they won again, the Lakers after 10 years and for the 5th time in a “0” year and the Dodgers after my #, 32 years–I will not root, but might bet vs them, as I would advise “you,” at least, as far as repeating titles.

It is the third time the Lakers and Dodgers are simultaneous champions (’81 baseball, also a shortened seasons whose World Series dates were the same through 5 games as the one 39 years later followed by ’82 basketball and then ’88 basketball followed by baseball), the Lakers staying 10 titles ahead (17 to 7) and now with twice as many crowns in L.A. as the Dodgers (12 to 6).

It was just the fourth time that the game 4 winner in a Dodgers’ W.S. failed to win the World Series, that following just the second time in 14 Dodgers’ NLCS that the #4 winner failed to win the pennant, awarded to the LCS winner.

That’s all folks, maybe more esoteric tomorrow.

 

Dodgers’ title winning manager, Dave Roberts, pictured above.