You Have Just Witnessed Possibly The Greatest "Do Not Erase" TiVo Moment in Dodgers History
After it was over, when the media had finished with Marlon Anderson, Ned Colletti peered through the temporary lockers in the center of the Dodgers clubhouse. "Hey Marlon, thanks for showing up." Anderson laughed. "Thanks for letting me," he replied.
James Loney came out of the showers, practically unable to speak. "I don't even want to get dressed," he said.
Nomar Garciaparra stood in front of his locker, digesting what had just happened. "I've never seen anything like it. I was glad to witness it, I was glad to be a part of it," he said. "I was just proud to be a part of what these guys did."
What these guys did was among the most amazing things in one of the most amazing games I've ever seen, in any sport, anywhere. Monday night's 11-10 win over San Diego, capped by Garciaparra's game winning two-run homer, put L.A. back into first place in the NL West. How it happened will forever be a part of Dodgers folklore, one of those games where 54,831 had tickets but 154,831 will claim they were there. What seemed more than once like a game destined to be among the most outrageously frustrating losses in team history became one of the franchise's most unlikely and memorable wins.
It included a ninth inning sequence so rare, it had been duplicated only three times before in baseball history. I'll get to that in a second, because the backstory is pretty amazing. Tied 4-4, the Dodgers loaded the bases in the sixth. Enter Cla Meredith for the Padres, who induced a forceout at home off the bat of Rafael Furcal, then a 1-2-3 double play from Kenny Lofton to end the inning. Presented with their first golden opportunity to punish San Diego and break open a game in which they had trailed or been tied for the duration, the Blue failed miserably. In the eighth, the Padres made them pay, hanging two runs on a fading Jonathan Broxton. 6-4 San Diego. The Dodgers came back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning, but missed a chance to tie the game when Nomar struck out with men on second and third. 6-5 Friars. With Trevor Hoffman warming up in the pen for the Padres, it looked like a done deal. When San Diego lit up Takashi Saito for three in the top half of the ninth, what little hope remained seemed to evaporate. A frustrating night of squandered chances that would have talk radio switchboards lit up for all the wrong reasons.
Then there was the bottom of the ninth. "If you were a non-biased baseball fan, it was one of the greatest games you ever watched. You couldn't ever say (it could happen), especially against Trevor Hoffman, who is 55 of 57 lifetime against us? In two pitches? Nobody in this room can describe anything that happened," said Derek Lowe. That which he can't describe was just plain freakish. If the ghosts of Zach Wheat and Babe Herman rode through the gate in center field saddled high on the back of the Loch Ness Monster, it might not have been as shocking. Flush with a four run lead, San Diego sat Hoffman down and trotted out John Atkins. Boom. Home run, Jeff Kent. 9-6. Four pitches later, boom. Home run, J.D. Drew. 9-7. Exit Atkins, enter Hoffman, quite possibly the greatest relief pitcher baseball has ever seen. "They showed a graphic when he came in," said Colletti of Hoffman's career stats against L.A.. "Two blown saves in what, like 1,000 opportunities?"
Exaggeration, sure, but not by much. If Hoffman had any more ownership over the Dodgers, he'd be Frank McCourt. But not tonight. Russell Martin launched his first pitch over the wall in left center. Marlon Anderson ripped his next one into the bleachers in right. Two pitches, two homers. Four consecutive in all. Only the fourth time in baseball history that's happened, and the first since the Twins lit up the Kansas City A's in 1964. The Kansas City A's! We're talking Halley's Comet rare stuff, here. Tie game, nine up. The building was so juiced that the crowd erupted on all three of L.A.'s outs in the inning, including Andre Ethier's weak popup to short. At that point, anything that didn't bounce seemed like it would go out. "You see the first one, great. Second one, alright, we've got a chance. Third one? Alright, we've still got Trevor Hoffman out there. Then tie game. It's pretty special," said Lowe.
Flip to the top of the tenth, Aaron Sele on the mound. At this point, the Dodgers can't possibly lose, right? To blow the game after literally making history ten minutes earlier would be a crime. Even in the Kingdom of Impartiality (at least in theory) that is the press box, where writers had written, rewritten, and again rewritten their stories, you got the impression that even those guys felt like after all that work, the Dodgers deserved a win. Except nobody told the Padres. A Josh Bard single brought home Brian Giles. 10-9 Friars.
About a fifth, maybe a quarter, of the 54K that had originally filled the Ravine took off to beat the traffic heading into the ninth. But after seeing what the Dodgers did to tie things up, those that remained didn't move heading into the bottom of the tenth with L.A. down by a run, and didn't have to wait long for their loyalty to be rewarded. "Even though we lost the lead, we still felt alright," said Lowe. "We had just been down by four." To make up a single, lonely run seemed laughably simple by comparison, and it was. Rudy Seanez walked Kenny Lofton to open the Blue half of the tenth. Then Nomar drove a 3-1 pitch deep into the left field bleachers. Game, set, match. 11-10 Dodgers. For Garciaparra, who limped around the field all night, it was more than enough to take the pain away. "Right now, I don't feel much. After you guys leave and I go back to the training room, I'm sure (my leg's) gonna be aching a little bit."
Five homers in two innings from a team that had shown less power this season than a AAA battery. "Special night, special guys," said Colletti.
Special game, unlike any I've ever seen. More on it tomorrow.
—BK
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How can the Dodgers not re-sign Nomar after this season after his Gibson-like game ending HR. Amazing!! And Marlon too. Don't forget he went 5-5. WOW !!!
Posted by: Eric | September 19, 2006 at 12:57 AM
Awsome Finish, this is the turning point of the season.
Go Blue!
Posted by: Ed | September 19, 2006 at 01:01 AM
NOMAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Posted by: stargazin | September 19, 2006 at 01:08 AM
awesome write up. this season has given me two games I'll never forget: the August 13th, 1-0 win that Maddux pitched over the Giants and now this one. like I said, even if they don't make it all the way, I'm a satisfied fan.
Posted by: schlarb | September 19, 2006 at 01:15 AM
Most amazing game I have ever watched. WOW!!!! Dodgers will proceed to win this years world series.
Posted by: Frank | September 19, 2006 at 01:49 AM
Wow, Wow, and Wow!
You'd have to go clear back to Kirk Gibson to equate the feeling.
What a come back! What a game!
Go Dodgers, the most storied franchise in the Southland!
Posted by: sonnybelfast | September 19, 2006 at 01:49 AM
I live in North Carolina, and am probably the only true blue Dodger fan in my city, but that doesn't stop me from representing my hometown heroes.
I was a teenager when Gibson made the happiest kid alive. And since then, it has been another lifetime since anything matched last night's miracle against the pesky Padres. I celebrated when Jose Lima beat the Cardinals, but that, as far as I know, was the ONLY postseason victory since 1988.
Watching the highlights on Sportscenter this morning brought tears to my eyes, while my fists stayed raised in the air even though nobody else was around.
The only issue I have is with Grady Little, who continues to use unreliable relievers like Tim Hamulack, Brett Tomko and Jonathan Broxton. Get a clue and go find some experienced pitchers, otherwise Little and the Dodgers might fall a little short when October rolls around.
Posted by: Joshua Fischer | September 19, 2006 at 04:21 AM
Now that was good reading.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | September 19, 2006 at 06:10 AM
That game was absolutely incredible! Four homers in 5 pitches?? What in the hell happened out there?? Boch?? Adkins?? Seanez?? What the hell?
I've been through some bad losses as a San Diego sportsfan, but this one ranks right up there with as one of the most hurtful. I was literally sitting infront of the tv stunned and speechless. The Padre announcers had literally no words to say, even after the 3rd homer, let alone the 4th homer. Amazing. 5 freakin' pitches!
Props to the Dodgers for showing some major heart. Props to Padre pitching for serving up that game on a platter.
What an exciting game! For baseball, that's about as good as it gets. I just hope the Pads can bounce back after this emotional/devistating loss. We shall see what happens.
Posted by: Rocky | September 19, 2006 at 06:57 AM
BK,
Excellent write-up. I don't think Vin Scully himself could have put it any better.
Posted by: LoLo | September 19, 2006 at 07:21 AM
Four Homeruns in a row, that's a record. To end the game with Nomar's homerun on a bum leg, it's another classic. It is the work of that Big Dodger Fan in the sky. Time to rally around and cheer for Dodger Blue in this pennant race.
Dodger's need to improve their pitching, especially the closers. You can't expect homerun derbies bail out their game every night, these pitchers should win it as if Gagne is the closer. I'm no expert nor regular here but an old time watcher of Lasorda. When the Dodgers had the advantage of full bases, no out, I think Grady Little should exert some gritty MANAGING to score a run. Just a thought.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | September 19, 2006 at 07:30 AM
BK, I know what happened, and your write-up gave me chills all over again. I had the replay running when I fell asleep last night, and my husband woke me up when the magical bottom of the 9th began. I sat there, bleary-eyed, mouth hanging open. I knew what was coming and I still could not believe it. Magic. There is no other word. Wow.
Posted by: Jen | September 19, 2006 at 07:40 AM
I don't believe what I just saw!!! 2 HRs on 2 straight pitches from Hoffman?? Are you kidding me??? You can't make that stuff up..
Here's some good morning reading from the miserable land of the Padres on the morning after Nomar's bomb!!!
http://www.greatsportsnews.com/mlb/mlbsrch.php?q=San+Diego+Padres
Posted by: Mark | September 19, 2006 at 07:44 AM
Mike, Lolo-
Thanks. It's hard to figure out what to say after a game like that, so I'm glad you liked it. Jen, I had a very similar experience on the way home, in terms of replaying the night. One of the late night sports shows (Jason Smith, I think) replayed Charlie Steiner's calls in the ninth and tenth, and it was just amazing to hear it again. Lowe said it best- you don't have to be a Dodger fan to appreciate what happened last night. Just a baseball fan, or even just a sports fan.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | September 19, 2006 at 08:00 AM
WOW!!! Ok, get this, I was so pissed with the Dodgers last night, I couldn't take it any longer. I turned off the TV in the middle of the ninth. I couldn't take it any longer. I'd had enough! Dodgers, quit breaking my heart! We should have won this game, you STUPID JERK IDIOT DODGERS!!! So I went to bed. This morning, I passed on my morning dose of Sportscenter. I passed on my browsing of the boxcore and recap that I always go through. I just couldn't take it. First that Chicago series and now this. Nope, I'm not going to put myself through that. This was going to be a good day, a Dodger-free day. But oh SH**, I forgot about the radio on the way to work. OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, I can't believe it, I started screaming on my way to work. I can't believe I turned that off! But I guarantee you that I am just as exhilarated now that I would have been last night. What a moment! This is the fourth time in history that this has happened, but the articles didn't mention that it was the first time ever to tie in the bottom of the ninth.
Sonny, our Queens supporter, said it best when he said you have to go back to Kirk Gibson to equate the feeling. Ditto on that.
And Frank, you're right, I think this game can elevate us to the world series. You know Oakland didn't have a chance after Gibson's jack.
This makes up for the Chicago series and then some. We need to ride this for the rest of the season and beyond.
All I can say is WOW!!!! I LOVE MY DODGERS AGAIN!
Posted by: DODGER FREAK | September 19, 2006 at 08:12 AM
Dodgers on the front page of ESPN.com
Posted by: Jesse | September 19, 2006 at 08:37 AM
BK,
Props to you for a great write up and terrific blog last night. Listening to the game was great but listening and the live blogging made even more memorable. Getting up this morning was like Christmas day. You can't wait to check out the blog and sports sites to see what people are saying. Incredible! This could be the springboard we needed.
Posted by: Jim | September 19, 2006 at 08:45 AM
WOW!!!! That was the craziest game of the season! I'm still dragging my jaw around and trying to grasp what happened last night. I have a feeling that that game will definitely be a picker-upper for the Dodgers for the playoffs. If the playoffs started today, then the Dodgers would have to face the much-hated Cards, but after a game like the one last night, the boys in blue can take on ANYONE. GO DODGERS!!!! WOO HOOO!!!!!
Posted by: Chris H. | September 19, 2006 at 08:48 AM
BK,
Tanks for the good write-up. I'm STILL speechless!
I will never forget that game!
>_<
Posted by: dan the man >_< aka smushcalade | September 19, 2006 at 08:48 AM
I was wrong about the game MVP belonging to Mariano Duncan. That honor belongs to the Live Blog (4-0), and to the ten thousand fans or so that didn't get out of their seats after the eigth.
I've got to admit that the emotional rollercoaster tonight was a little much for me... I had to step away from the computer and watch the game lying down from the 7th inning on. My poor dog had to wait nigh 2 hours for his walk, and the entire time he sat there watching me while I writhed in agony through three innings of blown opportunities and bullpen ineffectiveness (seriously, Saito looked like the saddest Japanese man alive while sitting in the dugout during the bottom of the ninth.) Kudos to all of you who stuck with it to the end, especially everyone on the east coast.
We could all analyse the first 8 innings of tonight's game and point out thousands of miscues on the part of both the managers and the players. I can't count how many times the Dodgers squandered an opportunity to take over the game.
In the end, though, it turns out that the Dodgers won the game in the most perfect way imaginable. For all of us fans, it was an excrutiatingly painful experience that probably took off a couple of years from our life expectancies, but that's a small matter. An ordinary Dodger win tonight in the bigger scheme of things would have meant very little. A split series, 1/2 game lead in the division, and still a wide open race for the next two weeks. However, tonight was not an ordinary Dodger win. Tonight the Dodgers killed the Padres, twice. Though neither will figure into the decision, the two Dodger killers Peavy and Hoffman were both flat out beat, not to mention the fact that Roberts, Cameron, and Piazza were pretty much shut down as well. Remember those two heartbreaking losses at Chicago last week? Well, tonight the Padres experienced the pain of both games in one four hour stretch.
Tonight could very well be the night that defines the 2006 NL West. The Padres lose a heartbreaker, first place, and any momentum going into a tough series against the D-backs. The Dodgers, meanwhile, enjoy an offensive outburst not seen since 1964 to carry them into a series with the last place Pirates. All that adds up to a beatdown of San Diego in the most demoralizing way possible, and one magical night in Dodgers' history.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | September 19, 2006 at 09:01 AM
Oh, forgot to mention that I wrote that last post last night, but didn't bother to post till now. Just replace 'tonight' with 'last night', and it should make a little more sense.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | September 19, 2006 at 09:03 AM
DODGERFREAK,
WOW, I can't believe you missed that. I know you're still exited, but I know that your secretly kicking your self at the same time.
BTW, If you want a funny read, go check last nights thread. You can start a clinic on BI-POLAR disease with that!
>_<
Posted by: dan the man >_< aka smushcalade | September 19, 2006 at 09:04 AM
I'm trying to relive the moment from last night when we hit those 4 home runs. It's all so fuzzy.
Posted by: LoLo | September 19, 2006 at 09:05 AM
I don't think any of those other Quad-Homer nights were quite like this. The situation the Dodgers were in last night made it even more special. Against the division rivals, on the verge of dropping 1 1/2 back, Russell Martin dreaming of Jake Peavy, when we couldn't figure out this team all season, down by 4 in the bottom of the ninth (Dodger Freak: I was wondering the same thing, I dont think any of the other ones were in the ninth, for the tie). Just everything about it made it all the more special.
Posted by: wasabi | September 19, 2006 at 09:08 AM
You want chills? Go to the Dodger website and view all the clips from the game.
I've never seen MLB.com put THAT MANY clips together for one game.
Posted by: LoLo | September 19, 2006 at 09:09 AM