The Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers traded wins to get to Game 6. The Rays looked in line to force the all decisive Game 7 with Blake Snell dealing. However, Kevin Cash pulled Snell at 73 pitches in a move that had everyone scratching their heads. The Dodgers wound up coming out on top, 3-1, to clinch their first World Series since 1988.
Recap
The Rays got the early lead off Tony Gonsolin as their postseason stud Randy Arozarena knocked his tenth homer of the playoffs. Snell struck out the first three Dodger batters. Gonsolin got the quick hook in the second inning after allowing a Kevin Kiermaier double and walking Ji-Man Choi. Dylan Floro came in and struck out Arozarena to end the frame. Snell made quick work of the Dodgers again in the second, as he struck out two more and induced a ground out.
Alex Wood came in and set the Rays down in order in the third, while Snell allowed his first hit before getting the next three guys out in the bottom half. Wood also pitched the fourth inning and struck out two. Snell added three more strikeouts in the bottom of the inning to increase his total to nine. Pedro Baez came in for Wood in the fifth and sat the first two batters down before allowing Arozarena to hit a single. Victor Gonzalez came in and induced an inning-ending ground out.
Snell got through another quick inning in the fifth and was on cruise control. Gonzalez stayed in the game and struck out the Rays in order during the sixth. Snell got the first batter, AJ Pollock, out in the bottom of the frame before allowing just his second base runner of the day. He was at 73 pitches, had nine strikeouts, and the contact he allowed on the base hit was not even a hard-hit ball. For whatever reason, Cash took him out. If you’re looking for numbers or analytics that explain the move, there are basically none. It was the third time through the order, however, he is the ace and was cruising with the Dodgers getting almost nothing off him.
Cody Bellinger has a chuckle over Kevin Cash lifting Blake Snell in the sixth. pic.twitter.com/JeCgsrg3Wd
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) October 28, 2020
Kevin Cash taking Blake Snell out #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/nAy6umn6y6
— SPUN (@SPUN) October 28, 2020
rays fans looking at Kevin Cash for the foreseeable future pic.twitter.com/Zm1Dh2nF7h
— postoffice (@lilpostoffice1) October 28, 2020
Mookie Betts was the next batter, who was slugging .218 off left-handers and was a combined 0-6 and six strikeouts with Corey Seager against Snell. Cash also went to the Rays’ worst pitcher this postseason in Nick Anderson. Anderson had given up at least one run in six straight appearances.
Nonetheless, whether the move was bogus or not, it immediately backfired. Betts ripped a double that moved Austin Barnes to third. Anderson then threw a wild pitch that caused Barnes to come in for the tying run. With Betts at third, Seager grounded out to first to score the go-ahead run. The Dodgers never looked back and the decision to pull Snell will be talked about for a very long time.
Brusdar Graterol got two outs in the seventh before being replaced by Julio Urias. Urias set the last seven Rays down to seal the victory and the series as the Dodgers celebrated. Betts added the third run in the eighth inning as he whacked a homer.
Statistics
Betts and Seager each had an RBI for the Dodgers, while the other run scored via a wild pitch. Seager went hitless in this game but took home the World Series MVP award after hitting .400 with a 1.256 OPS, two home runs, and five RBI’s in the series. The shortstop continues to add to his hardware after also taking home the NLCS MVP award.
CAN’T STOP COREY.
Congratulations to the 2020 #WorldSeries MVP, @coreyseager_5! pic.twitter.com/kGrq2I7Bus
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 28, 2020
The Dodgers’ bullpen was nearly perfect as they allowed just two hits over 7 1/3 innings. Urias got the save with his 2 1/3 perfect innings and four strikeouts.
For the Rays, Arozarena went 2-for-4 with their only RBI. Austin Meadows, Kiermaier, and Mike Zunino each had one hit.
Congratulations to the Dodgers on winning the World Series as we now look forward to the offseason!
“In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!” – Vin Scully
Job done.#Dodgers #LAtogether pic.twitter.com/ZJXFr4gwgv
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 28, 2020
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Alex Kielar on Twitter @AlexKielar
Main Image Credit:
Embed from Getty Images
3 Responses