John Matthews
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Baseball’s premier writer and analyst – ESPN’s (and Bethesda native) Tim Kurkjian – said it was one of the greatest games he’s even seen.
Unfortunately for the faithful fans of the Washington Nationals, they were on the short end of the outcome.
The Los Angeles Dodgers scored four runs in the seventh inning, then held on in dramatic fashion to beat the Nats, 4 – 3 Thursday night, and win the teams’ National League Divisional Series, three games to two.
The Nats should have known it was not going to be their night. In an evening when fans were counting the minutes until the Metro closed, the two teams dished up a four-hour, 32 minute classic – the longest nine-inning playoff game in baseball history.
For the first two-thirds of the game, things appeared to be going the Nationals’ way, as the team’s ace, Max Scherzer, took a four-hit 1-0 shutout into the seventh frame.
Then things fell apart in an epic 66-minute seventh inning that featured eight pitchers, 14 players taken off the bench, a four-run bullpen collapse by the Nats in the top half of the inning, a two-run comeback in the bottom, AND the closing of the Metro system.
Scherzer, who had managed to hold the Dodgers off through six innings, gave up a solo home run to the Dodger’s Joc Pederson with the first pitch of the seventh inning, ending his night.
And then the real drama began. Nats Manager Dusty Baker and Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts began an intricate game of chess, switching in new relievers to face an array of pinch-hitters. The tit-for-tat resulted in a 4-1 lead for Los Angeles, highlighted by Justin Turner’s two-rbi triple off of the Nats’ Shawn Kelley.
Washington did respond in the bottom of the frame. Danny Espinosa drew a walk, and Chris Heisey, who all season long had been a powerhouse off the bench, pulled the Nats to within one run with a two-run homer.
Opportunity knocked for the Nats as Clint Robinson and Bryce Harper singled. But after Daniel Murphy was intentionally walked with two outs to load the bases, Dodgers closer Hanley Jansen struck out Anthony Rendon to end the threat.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Teams never bring in their closer in the seventh inning to try and get the final nine outs and a win. But strange things happen in October baseball, and L.A. saved the strangest of all for the ninth inning.
Jansen reached the ninth inning, and struck out Trea Turner before fatigue set in. After walking Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth, Jansen was done. The Nats had two men aboard with one out and their best hitter, Daniel Murphy, at the plate. What happened next was straight out of Hollywood.
The Dodgers brought in Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw, the ace who had thrown more than a hundred pitches in Game Four on Tuesday, came in on one day’s rest to try and put out the fire.
He got Murphy to pop out to second, and got Wilmer Difo – the only player left on the Nats’ bench to pinchhit for Nats’ closer Mark Melancon – to strike out.
Game over. It was the first save of Kershaw’s nine-year major league career.
“At the at the end of the day, if we don’t win that game, we’re going home, anyway, so what does it matter?” Kershaw said. “I just wanted to be available, and it ended up to the point where I could help out tonight.”
The Nationals failed to advance in the playoffs for the third time in five years, and for Manager Dusty Baker, it extended his career record in playoff elimination games to 0 – 9.
“I’m not ready to go home,” Baker said after the game. “I haven’t been home since February, but I would have gladly stayed a couple more weeks.”
What’s next for the Nats? Pitchers and catchers report in 125 days – give or take.
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