True Blue LA podcast episode 2135: The final countdown

This week on the podcast, we grapple with the idea of a 100-win Dodgers team somehow underperforming, and we look at what lies ahead with one week left in the season.

Max Scherzer gets the ball in a winner-take-all situation, but we go through the scenarios of what might happen if things are tied on Sunday. Plus the return of AJ Pollock is fresh in our minds, plus the return of Cody Bellinger as well.

Special thanks as always to producer Brian Salvatore for all his work on the ones and twos.

Dodgers rewind

Bill Madlock was a late-season acquisition in 1985 at the waiver trade deadline, coming over from the Pirates for RJ Reynolds, Cecil Espy, and Sid Bream. Madlock solidified third base down the stretch, hitting .360, and hit three home runs in the six-game NLCS against St. Louis.

Madlock is a four-time batting champ, having led the league in batting average twice with the Cubs (1975-76) and twice with the Pirates (1981, 1983).

He hit .285/.346/.406 with 22 doubles, 15 HR, and a 112 OPS+ in 166 games with the Dodgers, sticking around until he was released in May 1987. Mad Dog ended his 15-year major league career with 2,008 hits and a 123 OPS+ for the Rangers, Cubs, Giants, Pirates, Dodgers, and Tigers.

Thanks to Brad Gunning for the suggestion of Madlock this week.

More info: Madlock’s SABR bio, written by Norm King.

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Episode link (time: 59:55)