LOS ANGELES — Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax may be 89 years old – hasn’t thrown a single pitch in 60 years – but was so excited Monday night that he rushed into the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse, almost ready to put on a uniform himself.
This is the 121st World Series played, and no one has ever seen a game quite like it, featuring 44 players, 19 pitchers, a batter reaching base nine times, five outs recorded on the bases, a player becoming the first to hit two walk-off homers in the World Series, a reliever who wasn’t even on the playoff roster until four days ago becoming the winning pitcher, in a game that lasted 18 innings, tied for the longest in World Series history.
It was that kind of zany and historic night on Monday at Dodger Stadium, where the Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-5, in 18 innings – an instant World Series classic lasting six hours, 39 minutes, with Freddie Freeman hitting a walk-off homer to lead off the 18th and give the Dodgers a 2-games-to-1 lead.
‘It’s one of the greatest World Series games of all time,’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ‘I’m spent emotionally. We got a ball game later tonight (Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. ET), which is crazy.’
Oh yeah, and the guy taking the mound is the same guy who just reached base nine times, Shohei Ohtani, who hit two homers, two doubles, and was walked five times – four times intentionally.
‘I hope we don’t lose sight,’ Freeman said, ‘our starting pitcher got on base nine times tonight. Just incredible.’
Said Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement: ‘You can’t explain it. He’s the best player to ever play this game.’
And yet, despite the historic performance, Ohtani was almost an afterthought as the game went on, being intentionally walked in the ninth, 11th, 13th and 15th innings, and walked on four pitches in the 17th inning.
While Ohtani was being walked, reliever Justin Wrobleski, after pitching in the sixth inning, kept running in and out of the Dodgers clubhouse for 11 innings with his other teammates who were out of the game, furiously changing sweatshirts, shoes, pants and anything for good luck.
‘I went sweatshirt, then I went no sweatshirt, and then I went three different pairs of shoes,’ Wrobleski said. ‘The third pair of shoes finally worked.’
Infielder Miguel Rojas was getting his arm loose, and was ready in case the Dodgers wanted to turn to a position player after already using 10 pitchers, with Roberts saying on TV during the game that he was nearly ready to do just that.
‘I was trying to get myself ready,’ Rojas said. ‘I was going to throw everything I have, even that eephus pitch.’
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who threw a complete game just two days ago, actually was warming up in the bullpen as the game ended, ready to come in for emergency relief.
There was Ohtani, who said he was tired and just wanted to go to bed, knowing he is scheduled to take the mound in a few hours.
It was a night where Freeman was the hero, becoming the first player to hit multiple walk-off homers in World Series history.
But another man who will be forever remembered in Dodger folklore is Will Klein. He’s a 25-year-old journeyman who has pitched for five teams, was added to the World Series roster at the last minute, and who pitched four shutout innings to perhaps save the Dodgers’ season.
When Freeman’s fly ball sailed over the center-field fence, he thrust his right arm high into the air, and then both hands as he circled the bases and crossed home plate. Nearly the entire team encircled Klein to congratulate him as the winning pitcher.
What was said exactly?
‘Probably nothing that was in English,’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. ‘It was just a bunch of gibberish. I was too tired, too excited but we all made sure to give him a hug and tell him how important that was.’
While it may have been a blur to Muncy and his teammates, pardon Klein if he remembers every detail the rest of his life.
‘That was so cool,’ Klein said. ‘I never dreamed that anything like this would happen. So just having all those guys like kind of celebrating me for a second there was just insane. I don’t think I could have dreamt a dream that good.
‘Yeah, that was crazy.’
So was the entire game.
There were 10 runs scored in the first seven innings, and not another until Freeman’s 18th-inning homer.
There were five runners thrown out on the bases, four ending innings.
There were 44 players used, including 19 pitchers, with not a single reliever left in either bullpen.
‘I think we’ll be talking about this game for a long time,’ Muncy said. ‘We always talk about a regular playoff game is like playing three extra-inning games. And we basically just played a doubleheader back-to-back today.’
And, of course, there was Klein.
‘He will be remembered as a hero,’ Rojas said.
Said Freeman: ‘Will Klein, MVP of the game.’
Considering Klein was a last-minute replacement on the World Series roster because of a family emergency with left-handed reliever Alex Vesia, when did Klein realize he might be summoned into the game in the 15th inning?
‘When I looked around in the bullpen and my name was the only one still there,’ he said, laughing. ‘I was just going to go until I couldn’t, and that’s kind of what happened and, thankfully, Freddie saved us from Yamamoto having to do the same thing …
‘I don’t think I could have ever imagined that this would happen.’
Well, if the Dodgers really want to stretch their imagination, all they have to do is look at the mound Tuesday and see that the same dude who just reached base nine times will be the starting pitcher a mere 18 hours later.
‘He’s a freak,’ Klein said. ‘I mean, that guy, I don’t know how anyone can do what he does, being the best hitter and the best pitcher in the league. I don’t think there’s a word to describe it other than he’s the GOAT.
‘I mean, just getting to be teammates with him is a great honor. So, that guy, he’s going to go out there and shove (Tuesday), and we’ll be like, man he was on base nine times and he’s not tired at all.’
The Dodgers were riding so high after the game they insisted they weren’t physically exhausted, only mentally wiped out, and Roberts entered the clubhouse after the game to tell them how proud he was of each and every one of them.
There were heroes everywhere he looked.
There were nine relievers who gave up just one run in 13 1/3 innings.
There was Will Smith who caught all 18 innings.
There was Yamamoto who came to the bench and volunteered to pitch in relief.
And, there was three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, who entered the game with the bases loaded in the 12th inning, the first time he had ever pitched in an extra-inning game in his career.
Kershaw promptly induced a weak ground ball by Nathan Lukes, ending the inning, and sending 52,654 fans into hysterics, wondering if that was perhaps Kershaw’s final World Series game.
‘It was a big out for us,’ Kershaw said. ‘I thought it was going to be a bigger out, but we played like nine more innings.’
While Kershaw extolled the virtues of their entire bullpen, Freeman’s blast, Smith catching 18 innings, and their fabulous defensive play, he still couldn’t help but marvel at Ohtani’s performance, knowing he’s going to be the starting pitcher in Game 4.
“To get on base nine times, and is about to pitch in 12 hours,’’ Kershaw said, “pretty unbelievable, all of the way around.’’
And while Yamamoto never came into the game, the fact that he told Roberts and the coaching staff he was ready to pitch, and warmed up furiously in the bullpen, it only exemplified the Dodgers’ unselfishness.
‘That’s a testament to our team that he’s willing to go do that,’ Freeman said. ‘It took every single guy tonight, and for him to want to do that, I think that just shows you who we are as a group. We’ll do anything to win the game.’
Said Kershaw: ‘That’s just unbelievable. He throws a complete game two days ago, has cross-country travel, gets in at 4 in the morning, had one day rest basically, and is ready to go out and pitch. Sometimes, that’s what you need to win a World Series. We’ve got a lot of guys in here willing to sacrifice.’
That determination will be on full display Tuesday when Ohtani takes the mound. He’ll also be their DH and leadoff hitter, but there may be no reason for him to take his bat to the plate. Blue Jays manager John Schneider made it clear that he’s going to keep walking him after watching him nearly beat his team single-handedly with his first-inning double, third-inning homer, fifth-inning double and seventh-inning, game-tying homer.
‘He’s arguably the best player on the planet, you know,’ Schneider said. ‘I think you kind of react in real time a little bit … There’s certain times where you feel better about someone else beating you.’
It’s Mookie Betts, who hits behind Ohtani, followed by Freeman, but if Betts were the opposing manager, he’d do the exact same thing.
‘What he did was amazing,’ Betts said. ‘Just another one in the history books, another record broken.’
And yes, just another day in the life of Shohei Ohtani, and as the Dodgers left the clubhouse, they can’t wait to see what’s up his sleeve next.
‘We’ll see how that goes,’ Betts said. ‘He’ll probably set another record or something.’
Hey, why not?
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