Dodgers Fail To Cover First...Place Diamondbacks

This was the email I sent friends on Sept. 19.
I know most of you don’t care about baseball, but this one I could not resist. This is a long one, folks, but it goes into detail because…. well, I know I like to speak in hyperbole, but in the cold light of morning, last night’s Dodgers-Padres game still looks like the greatest game I’ve ever seen.

It’s impossible to divorce games from context. Gibson’s homer in the 1988 World Series is still the most important (read: best) game in Dodgers history. The two recent Important Red Sox games — Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS ("Grady leaves Pedro in") and Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS ("Dave Roberts steals second; Papi flips his helmet in the 12th") are way up there in my memory for what they meant in terms of the postseason, and because of that, I think the moments are "greater." (That is, even though the Red Sox lost that Game 7 in 2003, I won’t soon forget that game. That game is an integral part of Red Sox history.)

Still, as a game this one was better than any of those… and while it wasn’t the postseason, this one had some context to it, too. The Dodgers had just ceded first to the San Diego Padres in a very well-pitched game on Sunday. Last night, it was to be a battle of aces: the Dodgers’ Brad Penny — their winningest pitcher and the man who started this year’s All-Star Game — would face Jake Peavy, the Padres’ best pitcher and a man who’s owned the Dodgers since 2003. First place was on the line — a Dodgers win would put them a half-game over the Padres; a Dodgers loss would put them one-and-a-half back of San Diego (and just one game ahead of Philadelphia for the wild card).

Listening on the radio as I drove home, I heard Penny come in to start. He was good, getting Roberts to ground out and striking out Giles. Then the wheels came off the bus, and by the time the dust settled, the Dodgers were down 4-0 with Peavy yet to throw a pitch.

Jake Peavy. The ace. The man who has not lost to the Dodgers since 2003. "This game is over," I said, and called Seamus to tell him as much. He agreed.

I came home and spent a few minutes talking to my lovely and patient bride. I told her the news about the game, and we shared our frustrations. I said I didn’t need to watch the game… and then recanted. Even if they lost, I wanted to see the thing. Patiently, Tiffany accepted this.

By the time I tuned in, the Dodgers had earned one run. (There was some discussion of Peavy looking angry or unsettled, but I didn’t hear or see what it was.) The Dodgers got their second the next inning, when Marlon Anderson — a journeyman outfielder, never very good — hit a home run. Two more in the third and the game was tied.

I pause here to emphasize how impossible I thought this was at the time. The Dodgers had spotted Jake Peavy four runs and had come back to tie. I did not foresee that happening and I was not alone. I had witnessed the first bizarre, impossible event of the night.

As the game progressed, each team got their chances. (In fact, in the entire game, no side went 1-2-3 at any time; there were constantly runners on base.) In the top of the sixth, Penny out, Tomko in for the Dodgers; he gives up a booming double, but gets out of it to preserve the 4-4 tie.

Then the fateful bottom of the sixth. Anderson gets on with a single and Betemit walks. Oscar Robles comes in to sacrifice, but the Padres pitcher, Embree, fielded and tried to get the lead runner at third; his throw pulled the third baseman off the bag and everyone was safe. Bases loaded, nobody out. Pitching change: Cla Meredith comes in for the Padres and shuts it down… Furcal grounds to second base, Anderson out at home; Lofton grounds into double play, inning over.

The momentum, if you believe in such things, shifted to the Padres, and they took advantage. Against the Dodgers’ Jonathan Broxton in the 8th, the Padres scored twice, making it 6-4. Once again, the game looked over, but in the bottom of the 8th, against Scott Linebrink, the Dodgers would get their chances, too. Anderson opened with a triple and Betemit singled him home. After Olmedo Saenz struck out and Furcal flew out, with Julio Lugo running for Betemit, Kenny Lofton lifted a double to shallow right and it was second and third with two out and Nomar Garciaparra up. In a very disappointing, edge-of-your-seat at bat, Linebrink got the better of Garciaparra, striking him out. Threat over; the score is 6-5, Padres lead.

In comes Takashi Saito to pitch for the Dodgers. Saito, a 36-year-old rookie, came over from the Japanese leagues this year and has been absolutely lights-out. He entered the game with a 1.93 ERA (for you non-baseball fans, that’s very, very good)…. but he would not have the magic tonight. He pitched terribly, and after a very long half-inning, the Dodgers found themselves facing their second four-run deficit of the night.

With a four-run lead to work with, the Padres decided to let their best reliever, Trevor Hoffman, rest, and brought in a man named John Adkins. The first guy he faced was Jeff Kent.

Before we go into what happened next, some context. The Dodgers entered the game as the worst power-hitting team in the National League: number 16 out of 16 in home runs. They are famous for their lack of power, which makes this even more astounding:

Kent sends Adkins’s 1-ball-no-strike pitch over the wall for a home run. 9-6 Padres.

Now Adkins faces J.D. Drew. Drew works the count to 2-and-1 before sending the pitch a-way-back and gone. 9-7 Padres.

Bruce Bochy, the manager of the Padres has seen enough, and calls for Hoffman to pitch.

For you non-fans, Trevor Hoffman has a legitimate claim to the title of best relief pitcher in baseball history. The save is an odd stat and we can argue about its meaning, but it means something if you have more of them than anybody else, which, by the end of this season, Hoffman will have (The record is 478; Hoffman entered last night with 475).

In short, he is a very, very, very good pitcher who is very, very good at his job. He had a two-run lead and three outs to get with the Dodgers’ number six hitter due up.

That number six hitter, catcher Russell Martin, swung at the first pitch Hoffman gave him. High fly ball to left field and gone. 9-8 Padres.

"Do not go gentle into that good night," says Vin Scully, who was at his best throughout the evening.

Now Marlon Anderson comes to the plate. Anderson was already at that point enjoying the game of his life. Really, he’s not that good; the Dodgers got him off waivers for a minor leaguer who’ll probably not amount to much. At this point in the game, Anderson was 4-for-4 with a home run, a triple, and two singles.

Hoffman delivered his first pitch and Anderson hit it to right… just over the wall. 9-9 tie. Anderson goes 5-for-5. His game is what I love about baseball; yaneverknow what’s going to happen. For a player like Anderson to have this kind of performance in a game like this is not only unpredictable but the kind of thing you bet against… and still, it happens.

Let us pause again: four back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs. It was just the fourth time in major league history that’s happened, and the way it occurred — a bottom of the ninth comeback, down by four — is incredible. It’s the kind of stuff dream are made of. It’s the kind of stuff worthy of writing impossibly long game recaps about.

Hoffman then got out of the inning and we go to the 10th. With few arms left in the bullpen, the Dodgers turn to journeyman pitcher Aaron Sele, who does not pitch well, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Things looked bleak indeed for Dodgers fans.

…but in the bottom of the 10th, the Padres faced the same problem and called upon Rudy Seanez, who last enjoyed a good season sometime in the mid-90s. Kenny Lofton — the man who killed the sixth inning rally — led off and walked, breathing life into the team once more. Up comes Nomar Garciaparra, my favorite player.

Garciaparra has had his moments this year, mostly in the first half. He had two game-winning singles on consecutive nights against the Brewers in May, and a few nights later, hit a game-winning grand slam against the Astros. His first half was so good, he was an All-Star selection, but his second half has been terrible. He’s been mired in a terrible slump and plagued by injuries. Though he’s my favorite player, it’s been alternately thrilling and disappointing to watch him this season.

For nine innings, he was no great shakes with the bat (though he had hit a double, nothing had come of it); let’s not forget that he had had the chance in the 8th to be a hero, he struck out.

Now it is the 10th. The Dodgers are down by one and there’s a man on first. Nomar works the count to 3-and-1 and then gets his pitch.

Whack — like something out of the first half of the year, it sails way back into the left field bleachers. The Dodgers take their first lead of the night as everybody goes home; the Dodgers win, 11-10.

This game had absolutely everything: the important contextual matchup; the two aces facing off; the constancy of men on base; the unlikely player having the game of his life; two four-run comebacks, including the history-making comeback in the ninth; and my favorite player coming through to win it in extra innings.

After waxing enthusiastic about the game, Scully closes by saying, "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. The Dodgers are in first place!"

What a game. Marlon Anderson’s picture is on the front page of the Los Angeles Times today — not the sports section, but page A1 above the fold.

We have two extra tickets for tonight, if anyone is interested.