Starting pitchers tonight were righthander Max Scherzer (Washington) and lefthander Rich Hill (Los Angeles).
Both were the losing pitcher in an earlier game during this NLDS.
Scherzer made his 14th appearance and 12th career postseason-start tonight and his second start of this Series.
Scherzer is 2-4 in his career against the Dodgers, but didn't throw against them in the regular season.
He started against the Dodgers in the opener of the NLDS last Friday.
He then struckout five batters and gave up five hits and four earned runs in six innings, resulting in him being the losing pitcher.
In his postseason-career, Scherzer is 4-4 with a 3.93 ERA.
This year, Scherzer was 20-7 and led the Majors with 284 strikeouts, which also was a Nationals-record.
Hill made his third career postseason-start tonight and his second of the Series.
Tonight, he pitched on three days rest after having been the starter for the Dodgers in Game 2 last Saturday.
In that game, he was the losing pitcher, giving up six hits and four runs in 4 1/3 inning, but also struckout seven batters.
Hill made his debut with the Dodgers on August 24 after coming over from the Oakland A's.
He was 3-2 for the Dodgers and 12-5 in the season.
In his career, Hill is 1-1 against Washington, but didn't face them in the regular season this year.
In the previous four games, the Dodgers scored in the first inning each game and also led after the first inning.
Tonight, they were retired in order by Max Scherzer.
Dodger-starter Rich Hill also retired the side in his first inning.
After making his sixth delivery to lead-off hitter Trea Turner he was hit on his left throwing hand by a comebacker, but was able to make the out.
Hereafter, he struckout the next two batters.
After the Dodgers were retired in order again in the top of the second, Washington opened the score moments later in its second at bat.
Daniel Murphy led off with a single.
With that, Murphy now has reached base in all of the 19 postseason-games he has played in his career.
The record is 25, which was accomplished by Boog Powell in 1966-1971.
With one out, Murphy stole second base, then Ryan Zimmerman walked.
Hereafter, Danny Espinosa followed with a runscoring single, but the Nationals left runners behind on first and third base, as Rich Hill again closed with two strikeouts.
...Washington's Trea Turner playing for Team USA in the...
...2012 Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The Dodgers reached base for the first time in the top of the third inning when Yasmani Grandal led off with a walk.
But he was eliminated in a double play moments later.
In the bottom of the third inning, Washington got a chance to score another run.
Trea Turner again led off with a single and stole second base.
Turner then advanced to third base when next batter Bryce Harper flied out.
Hereafter, Hill struckout Jayson Werth to give him six strikeouts.
The lefthander then walked Daniel Murphy intentionally and was replaced by Joe Blanton hereafter.
Murphy then stole second base, but a flyout ended the inning, stranding runners on second and third base.
Los Angeles came into scoring positon for the first time in the top of the fifth inning and got a chance to do some scoring.
First, Josh Reddick and Joc Pederson opened with singles.
Max Scherzer followed with his fifth strikeout, but hereafter, the bases got loaded when Andrew Toles also singled.
Next, Scherzer struckout pinch-hitter Andre Ethier, then a grounder by Chase Utley ended this scoring opportunity.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Julio Urías took over the Dodger-pitching.
With his 20 years and 62 days, the Mexican lefthander became the youngest pitcher to throw for the Dodgers in a postseason-game.
The youngest Dodger-pitcher before today was legendary Don Drysdale, who was 20 years and 76 days old when he threw in the 1956 World Series.
Urías also became the youngest pitcher to throw in a postseason-game since Dutch-born Bert Blyleven, who was 19 years and 182 days old when he threw for Minnesota Twins in 1970.
In that same year, Don Gullett was 19 years and 271 days when he pitched for Cincinnati Reds.
The youngest-ever pitcher in the postseason was Ken Brett, who was 19 years and 20 days (162 days younger than Blyleven) when he pitched in 1967 for Boston Red Sox.
With two outs, Urías walked Bryce Harper.
But despite getting close to a balk twice, Urías then picked off Harper from first base to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Urías gave up some hard hits, but the Dodger-defense avoided giving up runs.
Jayson Werth led off with a walk, then Daniel Murphy hit a line drive into rightfield, which was barely caught by Josh Reddick.
After a pop-fly accounted for the second out, Ryan Zimmerman hit a linedrive into leftfield for a double.
Werth was sent home to score, but ended up way short and was eliminated on the 7-6-2 throw to end the inning.
Moments later, in the top of the seventh, Joc Pederson led off with a homerun for the Dodgers to tie the score at 1-1.
It marked the end for Max Scherzer, who was replaced by Mark Rzepczynski.
Hereafter, Yasmani Grandal walked and when Howie Kendrick was announced as pinch-hitter, a pitching change followed.
Blake Treinen was brought in and gave up a single to Kendrick that put runners on first and second base.
Austin Barnes was then inserted as pinch-runner for Grandal at second base, while Charlie Culberson became the pinch-hitter for Julio Urías.
An attempt to move the runners with a sacrifice bunt failed, as Culberson struckout on a foul-bunt.
Another pitching change followed, as Sammy Solis became the fourth pitcher for the Nationals in this inning.
Carlos Ruiz then became the next pinch-hitter for the Dodgers, hitting for Chase Utley.
All this tactical moves by Manager Dave Roberts in the end worked, as Ruiz singled to bring in Barnes to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
After next batter Corey Seager flied out, it was Washington-Manager Dusty Baker, who made another change, bringing in another pitcher.
Shawn Kelley took over to face Justin Turner and he drilled his second delivery into deep centerfield for a 2-run triple that made it 4-1.
On his first pitch to next batter Adrian González (a ball), Kelley sustained an injury and had to leave the game.
Oliver Pérez took over to become the sixth pitcher in this inning (record), González grounded out, but the Dodgers led 4-1.
...Closer Kenley Jansen entered in 7th inning...
...and had a good outing...
(© Photo: Freek Bouw / Phrake Photography) |
Washington responded immediately in its seventh at bat.
Grant Dayton became the new pitcher for the Dodgers, but he walked lead-off hitter Danny Espinosa.
Hereafter, Chris Heisey was inserted as pinch-hitter.
Heisey, who played in 33 games for the Dodgers last year, is the active leader in pinch-hit homeruns.
And he did just that now, hitting a pinch-hit homerun, that narrowed the deficit to 4-3.
When next batter Clint Robinson singled, a pitching change followed.
With an one-run lead and no outs, Kenley Jansen was brought in, but it was only the seventh inning.
Jansen is the Dodger-closer, who normally enters the game in the ninth (and very sometimes in the eighth).
However, it was now Jansen's job to keep the one-run lead intact.
The last time that Jansen entered a game in the seventh inning was in May 2013.
A flyout followed, but then Jansen gave up a single to Bryce Harper that put runners at the corners.
Harper then stole second base, but at the same time, Jansen struckout Jayson Werth.
That brought up powerhitter Daniel Murphy, but with first base open, he of course was walked intentionally to set up a force play.
But Jansen did his job, as he secured the one-run lead by striking out Anthony Rendon to end the inning.
More tactical moves were made in the eighth, as there were four defensive changes for the Nationals.
With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Joc Pederson walked and moved on a sacrifice bunt by Kenley Jansen.
With a runner on second, Washington-closer Mark Melancon entered the game.
He began with an intentional walk for Howie Kendrick and then a groundout ended the inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kenley Jansen walked lead-off hitter Stephen Drew, but then retired the next three batters, closing with a strikeout.
After the Dodgers were retired in order in the top of the ninth, Kenley Jansen returned to the mound in the bottom of the inning.
In the meantime, Clayton Kershaw, the starting pitcher of two days ago in Game Four, was warming up in the bullpen!
Jansen struckout Trea Turner, but then walked Bryce Harper.
Jayson Werth followed in the batter's box and he also walked.
That brought out Dodger-Manager Dave Roberts, who then brought in Clayton Kershaw to close the game!
Jansen had thrown the most pitches in his big league-career, while Kershaw made his first relief-appearance since the NLCS of 2009.
With the suspense building more and more, Kershaw faced Daniel Murphy, who popped up for an infield-fly.
Hereafter, the lefthander closed the game by striking out Wilmer Difo and earned the first save of this Major League-career!
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Dodgers defeat Nationals in thriller to advance to NLCS
WASHINGTON, D.C. (USA) -
Los Angeles Dodgers won 4-3 against Washington Nationals on Thursday-evening (October 13) to win the best-of-five National League Division Series.
With the win, the Dodgers won the Series 3-2 and advance to the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
The Dodgers-Nationals Series was the lone way that had to go all the way.
The Cubs won its Series in four games.
In the American League, Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians both swept their opponent in three games.