Eddie Rosario spoke a few days ago about his lucky bat. He had started to show it off, with a four-hit night in mid-September.
“I have used this bat with which I completed the cycle, and it has not disappointed me,” said the Puerto Rican after his second four-hit game in the National League Championship Series. “This bat hasn’t let me down yet.”
On Saturday that tree served him for something else: Being the Most Valuable Player of the series.
Rosario continued to shine with a three-run homer and the Atlanta Braves advanced to the World Series for the first time this century, after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 on Saturday night.
Also read: The Astros regained the American pennant
The Puerto Rican made an outstanding contribution in the National League Championship Series, as the Braves prevailed in six games and left out the reigning champions of the majors.
Atlanta exorcised the demons of the last championship series, in which it squandered 2-0, 3-1 leads against the Dodgers. Now he managed to finish the task and will be measured in the Fall Classic with the Houston Astros, champions of the American League.
Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
They pulled out the thorn
The Braves, who hadn’t advanced to the World Series since 1999, haven’t won it since 1995, when they beat the Cleveland Indians with a team that included four eventual Hall of Famers – Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Chipper Jones. .
Despite that coronation and its brilliant career, that group is also remembered for numerous painful losses in the playoffs. Atlanta had 14 divisional titles at that time.
The current team has unexpected heroes instead.
Rosario, acquired during a flurry of emergency trades before the July 30 deadline, was one of the pieces that rebuilt the injury-ravaged Atlanta outfield.
The Guayama outfielder set a franchise record. He is only the fifth player in baseball history to hit 14 hits in a postseason series.
“Since I was a little boy, I dreamed of this moment,” Rosario said. Look at me now.
The closure responded
Will Smith resolved in three men in the ninth inning to claim his fourth save in the postseason, following a brilliant relief from Tyler Matzek, who came out of a predicament in the seventh inning, with three strikeouts.
The southpaw has 11 fans with runners in scoring position in the seventh inning or later during these playoffs.
“I was out of baseball in 2017,” Matzek recalled. Now I’m in the World Series.
Encouraged by the “Eddie” chorus that broadcast the crowd of more than 43,000 fans, Rosario hit 25-14 (.560) against the Dodgers with three homers and nine RBIs.
His last hit was certainly the masterpiece in the 30-year-old’s career.
Adrianza with your contribution
With the scoreboard tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Rosario came in after pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza extended the inning with a double to the right-field corner with two outs.
Travis d’Arnaud, a catcher not known for his speed, was kept in the anteroom by order of coach Ron Washington, who was surely aware of who was coming next.
Rosario got into a long shift with Walker Buehler, who pitched on a three-day rest after Max Scherzer was ruled out due to arm fatigue.
On the first two pitches, Rosario fanned. Then he hit a foul ball.
A ball and two more fouls came.
Ultimately, he found a pitch by way of the pitcher who had won 16 season wins with the Dodgers. The Puerto Rican ignited that cut fastball and transformed it into a rocket at 105 mph that traveled the entire line of right field, like an arrow that pierced between the seats.
AP
