KENDALL PARK, N.J.- Game 5 of the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals will be remembered as one of the greatest divisional round games since the inception of the Wild Card in 1995. The win or go home game resulted in a 4-3 victory for the visiting Dodgers who will travel to Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs for Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday night.
The game was micromanaged by both sides. Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts, praised for the way he manipulated 19 players to perfection, while Dusty Baker made 3 double switches en route to using 22 Nationals in their season’s final game. Nationals starter, Max Scherzer held the Dodgers scoreless through the first 6 innings and even had a no-hitter through the game’s first 5 innings. Joc Pederson lead off the 66 minute 7th inning by belting a solo home run over the left field wall to even the score at 1. Julio Urias became the youngest pitcher to appear; and win a postseason game in MLB history, at 20 years and 60 days old. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen entered the game in the game in the 7th inning throwing a career high, 51 pitches while recording 7 outs. The game went 4 hours and 32 minutes, becoming the longest postseason game in MLB history. Oh yeah and the best pitcher on the planet, Clayton Kershaw came in for the game’s final 2 outs on just one day’s rest, getting a groundout and a strikeout to record his first career save. At the conclusion of the game, FS1 broadcaster Tom Verducci noted that you would remember this game as “The Clayton Kershaw Game,” not so fast…
In all of this craziness there is one specific player or even just one at bat that didn’t even result in a run that is completely overshadowed by all of these other headlines. After breezing through the first 3 innings on just 36 pitches, nine up nine down, Scherzer faced the top of the Dodgers lineup with a 1-0 lead to start the 4th. Both Chase Utley and Corey Seager worked full counts before becoming strikeout victims; Utley swinging and Seager looking on a changeup that painted the black on the outside corner. Justin Turner would then come to the plate with 2 outs in the 4th inning and have the most important at bat of the game.
The 1st pitch, a called strike a slider on the inner half backed up by a 94 mph fastball on the plates outer half for another called strike, 0-2. Pitch number 3 a change up in the dirt, followed by an inside fastball fouled off over the first base side and a low and outside slider to even the count at two. The 6th pitch a fastball on the outer half, fouled again over the Nationals dugout with the next pitch being another heater from Scherzer, fouled straight back. After a heavy dose of fastballs, Scherzer’s next 3 offerings; inside changeup followed by back-to-back sliders were all laced foul down the third base line. The 11th pitch, a slider away to work the count full at 3-2. The full count offering was again fouled off down the third base line before the 13th and final pitch of the at bat, a 97 mph fastball missed low according to Jeff Kellogg for ball 4.
Scherzer struck out the next batter, Adrian Gonzalez on just 4 pitches to end the frame, however his pitch count of 36 through of the game’s first 3 innings nearly doubled (30) to retire the Dodgers 1-4 batters in the 4th. 66 pitches through 4 innings, 13 of which came on a free pass to Justin Turner.
The Nationals were retired in order on just 12 pitches in the bottom of the 4th, quickly sending Scherzer back out to the mound. After back-to-back singles by Josh Reddick and Joc Pederson to start the inning and a 1 out bloop single into right field by Andrew Toles to load the bases. Pinch hitter Andre Ethier was retired on strikes and Utley grounded out to shortstop to end the inning with Scherzer’s pitch count at 78.
After an 11 pitch 6th inning, facing 4 Dodger hitters Scherzer’s pitch count 98, two shy of the mile mark of 100. You have to send your ace back out there right? 6 shutout innings, a 1-0 lead in a win or go game it seems like a no brainer. Scherzer’s 99th pitch, a 96 mph fastball was blasted over the left field wall by Joc Pederson to tie the score at 1. The Nationals ace’s night over, one pitch too late.
“How do you take out your — a guy in a 1-0 game? And Max is capable of going 100-some-odd pitches.” said Baker postgame. (Via Washington Post)
Scherzer’s outing however does not come down to the one pitch he made to Joc Pederson, however it is the thirteen pitches Justin Turner saw in the 4th inning that changed the game. Excluding the 4th inning and his lone pitch in the 7th, Scherzer’s pitch count in the other 5 innings was 68, an average of 13.6 pitches per inning. Essentially, Turner’s thirteen pitch epidemic shortened Scherzer’s outing by an inning. That inning, the road half of the 7th saw his team use 6 different pitchers, serve up 4 hits, a walk and surrendered a devastating 4 runs. The last pair of runs driven in on a wall scraping triple to dead centerfield by who else, Justin Turner.
In his first 12 career postseason games Justin Turner is 16-36 with 8 extra base hits, 7 runs scored, 9 RBI, with a .545 on base percentage.
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