Bellinger, Puig power Game 7 win to send Dodgers to the World Series
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Dodgers are headed back to the World Series following a 5-1 win over the Brewers during Game 7 of the NLCS. Cody Bellinger delivered the go-ahead shot after taking Jhoulys Chacín deep in the second inning, and Yasiel Puig ‘s three-run blast in the sixth helped bolster the Dodgers’ lead as they wrapped up their second consecutive NL pennant.
The Brewers looked dominant from the get-go. Jhoulys Chacín set down a scoreless first inning while Christian Yelich proved he was capable of harnessing the power that nearly won him the Triple Crown during the regular season. He smashed an 0-1 pitch from rookie right-hander Walker Buehler in the bottom of the first, sending it out to center field to mark his first home run since Game 1 of the NLDS.
It wasn’t long before the cracks began to show, however. Cody Bellinger returned with a two-run shot in the second inning, and another double from Puig signaled the end of Chacín’s outing. He used just six pitches to get through all three outs in the second, then handed the ball to southpaw Josh Hader to start the third. The lefty didn’t disappoint. After sitting out of Game 6, he pitched a flawless three innings to keep the Brewers on the Dodgers’ tail, issuing just one hit, one walk, and four strikeouts until he made his exit in the sixth.
Had the Brewers been able to rely on Hader for a longer outing, they might have chosen to do so. Instead, Xavier Cedeño and Jeremy Jeffress combined for a disastrous outing in the sixth, first with back-to-back singles from Max Muncy and Justin Turner , then with a three-RBI homer from Puig that allowed Los Angeles to pull ahead with a four-run lead.
The Dodgers did their fair share of shutting down the Brewers at the plate, too. In the bottom of the fifth, Milwaukee verged on a tie after Lorenzo Cain drove a two-out, line drive double into left field. Julio Urias replaced Walker as Yelich came back up to the plate, but any thought of a go-ahead homer was quickly shut down as Chris Taylor sprinted to make a jaw-dropping, over-the-shoulder catch at the warning track.
The bats settled down from the sixth inning on — neither the Dodgers nor the Brewers found an opening against Milwaukee’s Corey Knebel and Brandon Woodruff and L.A.’s Kenley Jansen and Clayton Kershaw , respectively. Woodruff struck out the side in the eighth, while Jansen refused to allow a single batter to reach base in 1 1/3 innings of work. Things appeared to shift back in the Dodgers’ favor in the ninth, as Puig and Taylor collected a single and double and Woodruff loaded the bases after intentionally walking Matt Kemp to get to Enrique Hernández. That feeling was short-lived, though, as Woodruff decimated Hernández and Muncy in back-to-back strikeouts to cap the inning.
With a World Series berth on the line, not to mention the club’s 23rd NL pennant, the Dodgers weren’t taking any chances when the bottom of the ninth rolled around. Up 5-1 with three outs remaining, Clayton Kershaw stepped on the mound for the first time since his Game 5 win. He looked just as dominant in relief, retiring Shaw on a groundout, inducing a six-pitch strikeout from Jesús Aguilar, and effectively dashing the Brewers’ World Series hopes as Mike Moustakas struck out swinging for the third and final out of the game.
Game 1 of the World Series is set for Tuesday, October 23 at 8:09 PM EDT, when left-hander Chris Sale will take the mound for the Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Dodgers’ starter has yet to be formally announced. The Red Sox are currently looking for their ninth championship title, while the Dodgers are on the cusp of their seventh.
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So is this the Series you wanted to see, or not. Tell us a bit about which teams you would have liked to see
That's right people! All that political shit we argue about pales in comparison to the mighty Dodgers going to the World Series - particularly after their dismal start!
The series with Milwaukee was hard-won. I'm looking forward to a world series that should get decent ratings for a change. Although I confess, I kind of hope they don't go 7 games because it's scheduled for Halloween. We're kinda into Halloween around here. Why MLB, why?
Kershaw closed tonight (masterfully, I might add) but he only threw like 10 pitches, so I expect him to start Game 1.
I wanted to see the Brewers vs. the Astros. So, no, this is a bummer for me.
I will root for the Dodgers.
Go RED SOX! There is no team in all of professional sports I dislike more than the dodgers. I don’t like the yankees either and the only time I root for them is when they played the dodgers. The Red Sox have the opportunity to knock off both of my most hated baseball teams in the playoffs this year. Red Sox!
The Red Sox are likely to emerge the winner so you should be pleased.
I do not care for the Dodgers either. None of my teams made it to the World Series so I will watch the World Series for the love of the game. Both teams are talented and we will likely see some spectacular baseball.
I would prefer the Dodgers win since they are long overdue - last WS win was 1988. Other than that, I do not care.
Any team from Texas over any team from Brooklyn, lol......
Been a Dodger fan my entire life!
Going to be a great series!
Dodgers and the Red Sox?? I wonder who Yankee fans will be cheering for!
Come on, everyone knows that it doesn't matter who Yankee fans cheer for. No one cares unless you are a Yankee fan. The rest of baseball fans largely despise the Yankees! They are like the Patriots of baseball.
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