Dodgers complete NLDS sweep of Padres, whose parade of players sets MLB records
The Los Angeles Dodgers made quick work of the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series, though quick only in that they completed a three-game sweep Thursday night at Globe Life Field.
The Dodgers slowly put away the upstart Padres in a 12-3 victory that took 4 hours, 4 minutes to complete. The first four innings, in which there were seven walks and three mid-inning pitching changes, lasted 1 hour, 56 minutes.
“It’s 12:30 at night,” left fielder A.J. Pollack said. “We’ve had some long ones.”
Much of that came as the Dodgers scored five times in the third inning to erase an early deficit, and they never looked back. Will Smith went 5 for 6 with three RBIs to become the first player in Dodgers postseason history with a five-hit game.
The Dodgers collected 14 hits, but none of them was a home run in the spacious Globe Life Field. The roof was open for all three games, and the only home runs hit were three solo shots in Game 2.
Los Angeles advances to the NL Championship Series to face the Atlanta Braves in a best-of-7 series that is scheduled to start here Monday. Fans will be in attendance, with Game 1 already a sellout at 11,500.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Smith said. “We’ve missed our fans this whole year. I expect Dodgers fans to be out here and cheering hard and giving us that home-field advantage. It will probably up the intensity a little bit, but once the game starts, it’s intense. It’s every pitch matters.”
The Braves and Dodgers are both 5-0 this postseason. They feature exciting young players, solid veterans and deep pitching staffs. The Dodgers have outscored their opponents 30-11 so far this postseason, and the Braves have posted shutouts in four of their five wins.
“They’re very talented offensively,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They play the game the right way. It’s going to be a fun series.”
But the teams will have to do some serious work to match the postseason records that were set Thursday night.
▪ San Diego used 11 pitchers, which is MLB record for any postseason game of any length. The Padres were essentially without two key starting pitchers at the start of the series. “We knew we were short-handed, just not being at full throttle with some of our pitchers,” manager Jayce Tingler said.
▪ The Padres also used all 13 position players, and the 24 players used is a record for any postseason game. The only players who didn’t participate were right-handers Pierce Johnson, Chris Paddack and Kyle Davies, who started Game 2, and left-hander Ryan Weathers.
▪ The Dodgers, meanwhile, used six pitchers. The 17 pitchers used is an all-time postseason record for a nine-inning game. Dustin May, from Justin Northwest High, started for the Dodgers and pitched the first inning of a bullpen game. The record for any postseason game is 18, set in 2018 as the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox played an 18-inning marathon in Game 3 of the World Series.
▪ Smith became the first catcher in postseason history to bag a five-hit game. At 25, he’s also the youngest player with a five-hit playoff game. The last player to have a five-hit game? Albert Pujols in the 2011 World Series across the street at Globe Life Park. “I don’t know if I’ve ever had one,” Smith said. “High school, maybe. Little league? I don’t know.”
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 1:01 AM.
