(Los Angeles) Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer after two strikeouts late in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the League playoff game Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
With a two-ball count and a catch, Taylor rolled up an offering from reliever Alex Reyes in the left center field stands with Cody Bellinger in second pad to end a high-quality duel and create frenzy among the 53,193 spectators. .
Taylor, who hit 20 homers in the regular season, had just seven hits in September and October. A recurring neck injury took him from a regular to a reservist in September.
Bellinger started the decisive push with a walk out from reliever TJ McFarland after two outs. He then stole the second cushion, his second theft of the evening, when wide receiver Yadier Molina was unable to control the ball to make his throw.
“Honestly, I was only trying to hit a single. I wasn’t trying to do too much, ”said Taylor in a field interview moments after the blast.
“He gave me a good slippery ball to hit and I was able to roll it up in the air. ”
With this gain, the Dodgers qualified for the National League section playoffs. Friday night, they face the San Francisco Giants. These two big rivals completed the 2021 season with 106 and 107 wins respectively.
“One of the great rivalries in the world of sport,” summed up Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “It’s going to happen. ”
The Giants won 10 of 19 games against the Dodgers in 2021.
“It’s going to be entertaining. Yes, two of the best seasonal records in baseball history. We have fought all season. So I expect a tough streak, ”said Taylor, who had been inserted into the game in the seventh inning on Wednesday.
Reliever Kenley Jansen was credited with the win after recording three strikeouts in the first half of the ninth inning, the last two with a runner on second pad.
Five Dodgers relievers muzzled the Cardinals hitters, who only conceded two singles after the fifth inning.
“All the relievers have raised their level of play up a notch. We have been doing this throughout the season, ”said Jansen.
“Now we are heading north [de la Californie]. »
The match brought together two teams who had achieved impressive streaks at the end of the season.
The Dodgers closed the schedule with 15 straight home wins.
As for the Cardinals, they were able to carve out a place in the playoffs after winning 17 straight games, and 19 of their last 22 games, as of September 11.
“This locker room is full of players in pain,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said.
Laborious exit
The Cardinals were the first to enter the draw, which they did in the opening round against Max Scherzer.
First hitter of the game, second baseman Tommy Edman first hit a single in right field. He then stole the second base and went to third base on a Tyler O’Neill ball caught by right fielder Mookie Betts in offline territory.
A bad throw from Scherzer saw Edman cross the plate.
After missing a great opportunity to score their first points against Adam Wainwright in the third inning, the Dodgers tied the game when Justin Turner started the fourth with a long homerun that ended up in the Dodgers relieving box.
This tour was the 13e of Turner’s playoff career, a high point in Californian training history.
The Cardinals threatened in the first half of the fifth inning when they sent their first two hitters out on the trails against Scherzer.
After O’Neill’s strikeout, Scherzer made way for reliever Joe Kelly, who ended the threat by forcing Nolan Arenado to hit an optional and taking out Dylan Carlson on three strikes.
Scherzer limited the damage to a single run in four and a third innings despite a strenuous exit marked by control issues.
The powerful right-hander made 94 shots, including 60 in the first three innings in which he faced five full counts. He gave three hits, three walks and recorded four strikeouts.
” We won. That’s all that matters, ”Scherzer said.
The Dodgers threatened in turn at the end of the sixth, but Luis Garcia, relief at Wainwright, broke the deadlock by pulling out AJ Pollock on a weak ground past home plate.
Wainwright pitched for five and a third innings. He conceded one run, four hits and two walks and had five strikeouts.
“They were relentless,” Wainwright said of the Dodgers.
“We had our chances to win this game. ”
