It isn’t the World Series. It isn’t even October. But the series between the Dodgers and the Padres sure feels like playoff baseball, even in April.
Right now, this is the most exciting rivalry in baseball. If Friday’s game wasn’t enough to convince you, then Saturday’s game sure did. And sure, we can debate the definition of “rivalry” all we want, but the matter of the fact is that these two teams do not like each other. To me, that’s all that you need to start a rivalry.
As far as Saturday’s game goes, it was a true pitcher’s duel between two of the best in the game today. Not only that, but one of those pitchers is the best arm of this generation (Kershaw, duh).
The game came down to the wire, and ended in the most exciting fashion possible. With the palm of his glove, Mookie Betts dove to snag a line drive off the bat of Tommy Pham, preventing the Padres from tying the game with 2 outs in the ninth. Considering the catch probability (10%), and the circumstances, it’s truly one of the greatest catches you’ll ever see.
So, yeah. That was a fun ending. But how did we get there?
A San Diegan Duel
To oppose Kershaw, the Padres sent out Yu Darvish. One of the big offseason acquisitions for San Diego, Darvish utilized his massive repertoire to keep the powerful Dodgers lineup off balance all night. Naturally, Kershaw matched him through the first four innings, keeping the game scoreless.
But that 4th inning wasn’t without drama.
With the bases empty and two outs, Kershaw blew a fastball by Jurickson Profar for what he believed was the final out. However, Profar had other ideas. He instantly protested the call, leading the Padres to challenge. The umps ruled that catcher Austin Barnes had interfered with Profar’s swing, allowing him to take first base. And that was where the drama began.
Here’s the play itself, with a helpful translation from Jomboy in the caption (warning: language)
Initially, Don Orsillo and Mark Grant (Padres announcers) thought it was the right call. But even they changed their minds after getting another look. The ball was already in Barnes’ glove before Profar made contact with it, which led to Kershaw’s frustration.
But not to fear, for Kershaw got his revenge the next inning.
Clayton Kershaw: RBI Machine?
Darvish worked himself into some trouble in the top of the 5th inning. It started when he hit Zach McKinstry with a breaking ball, putting a runner on with 2 outs. The next batter, Luke Raley, lined a single up the middle to extend the inning. Then, Darvish walked Austin Barnes, loading the bases with 2 down.
And up to the plate stepped Clayton Kershaw. The .160 career hitter was absolutely locked in, and did this:
That was the first run of the game, and it held up for a while. Besides the walk, Kershaw finished 6 shutout innings on the mound, striking out 8 against 2 walks, and allowed only 2 hits.
And even though he left the game in line for the loss, Darvish’s outing is not one to be forgotten, either. 7 innings of 1-run ball, with 9 strikeouts and just 1 hit allowed. Unfortunately for him, Kershaw was just doing Kershaw things that night.
Turner Turnin’ Up the Lead
The 1-0 score held until the top of the 9th inning. With Emilio Pagan on the mound, Justin Turner continued his red-hot start, going deep to extend the lead:
It was the 5th home run of the year for Turner in only 13 games, and made it a 2-0 game.
The Dodgers Dodge Extra Innings
So, we already saw the insane catch by Mookie Betts to end the game. But to truly appreciate the gravity of the play, we need to know how the inning developed.
Blake Treinen, after throwing a scoreless 8th, came back out to begin the 9th. After starting the inning by striking out Manny Machado, Wil Myers punched a single into left field to put a runner on. This would end Treinen’s day, but the Dodgers didn’t turn to Kenley Jansen.
Instead, Victor Gonzalez came out to finish the job. A wild pitch allowed Myers to advance to second, and then Jurickson Profar drew a walk. With runners at first and second, Jake Cronenworth grounded to the right side, allowing both runners to advance. This set up Tommy Pham with a potential game-tying scenario, one that we know was robbed by Mookie Betts.
Dodgers-Padres: Baseball at its Peak
The first two games of this series have truly been some of the best baseball games in a long time (particularly Saturday’s game). When you combine two division rivals, with two of the best rosters in baseball, and pit two of the best pitchers in baseball against each other, that’s what you get.
It’s intense, it’s exciting. It’s nerve-wracking. Most of all, it’s fun. Try to tell me, with a straight face, that you didn’t have a ton of fun watching that game. And these two teams play each other seventeen more times this year.
Just soak in the rivalry while you can, and maybe send up a prayer for these two teams to meet in the postseason while you’re at it.