Houston Astros: Five things Dodgers fans have to come to grips with
Case Study
As always, we must introduce the case study to the fans. Here it is.
Summary
From the mid-2000’s until 2016, the Los Angeles Dodgers were always a team that had the talent to win, but they could never reach the World Series. Between 2008-2016, the Dodgers reached the playoffs six times and made it to the NLCS in four of them. Yet, they were 0-for-4 in each of the NLCS.
That all changed in 2017 when the Dodgers were predicted by many fans to be the World Series champion. They acquired Rich Hill via free agency and traded for Logan Forsythe from the Tampa Bay Rays. After starting the season with a 14-12 April, they picked up a 19-9 record in May. But it would be the summer months of June and July that would define their season.
Going 41-10 in the two months, this included a stretch where LA went 40-7 into August. Aside from six all-star representatives, it got even better for the Dodgers when they traded for Yu Darvish in the July 31st trade deadline. Before long, the Dodgers were 91-36 and everyone was getting ready to crown the former Brooklyn bums as the best team in baseball.
Then What?
Then came a downward spiral that started with a rare five-game losing streak. It would then collapse into a stretch where the Dodgers lost 16 of 17 games. There was a period when Clayton Kershaw was out, but that didn’t change the fortune for the Dodgers, who continued to lose. It didn’t help that their lead was shrinking to single digits.
Fortunately, the Dodgers recovered well and ended up winning the NL West. After breezing through the Diamondbacks and the Cubs in the first two rounds, the Dodgers were facing the Houston Astros in the World Series.
What Happened?
After a dominant game one triumph by Kershaw, the Dodgers appeared to have Game two in the bag. Then came the turning point.
When this happened, it was a stunning sight. No one could believe that it happened. Why did it happen at that time? But it would lead to a big win for the Houston Astros, who evened the series. The two teams would split in games’ three and four setting up a pivotal Game five. In what was built as a pitching duel between Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel, Kershaw had the edge with a 4-0 lead. Then…
A stunning sight indeed.
Although the Dodgers scored three in the fifth inning, Kershaw could not get the third out in the fifth inning and was removed. Then suddenly…
How does this happen?
Los Angeles grabbed the lead in the seventh at 8-7 before…
Now the Dodgers trail 11-8. But they fight back to tie it at 12. With two outs in the tenth, closer Kenley Jensen is one strike away from retiring Brian McCann. He never gets that last strike.
The Houston Astros won Game five to lead the series 3-2. But the Dodgers win Game six to force a Game seven. The Dodgers feel the Houston Astros have no chance. But in the first two innings, Darvish had no chance and the Houston Astros won the series in seven.
Why do the Dodgers get blame?
When you won a major league-leading 104 games, the championship is almost all but guaranteed. The overwhelming consensus among the media was that while the 2017 World Series pitted the two best teams with 100+ wins and it was expected to finish in seven, the Dodgers appeared to be the heavy favorite to some.
Some have said that the Dodgers’ season was a failure because they lost. No World Series title means no chance of cherishing the incredible season that brought you a World Series game for the first time in 29 seasons.
Dave Roberts gets blamed for overusing his bullpen. Clayton Kershaw gets blamed for continuing to live up to his postseason reputation. Yu Darvish gets blamed for getting shelled in each of his starts against the Houston Astros. The Dodgers offense gets blamed for not matching firepower with the Houston Astros other than Game Five.
So in conclusion, the Dodgers are to be blamed for losing the World Series.
But should they be?
Are there more reasons to consider other than the Dodgers losing?
Well, we know the truth and even if we can’t convince the naysayers otherwise, we might as well annoy them more by revealing the top five reasons you can’t blame the Dodgers for losing the World Series to the Astros.