After a nail-biting season like this, I almost forgot how fun the playoffs could be. For two nights in a row now, I’ve chanted “Come on, come on, come on” at the Red Sox, immediately followed by doing the same thing at the Dodgers. And it’s great, really! I probably won’t be saying that for long, but right now, this feels like baseball done right.
At first, leaving Clayton Kershaw off of the Wild Card roster was probably a big surprise—until you gave it another minute or two of consideration. Jim Alexander at the Orange County Register breaks down more of the surprises and strategies of the Dodgers’ Wild Card roster, with some educated guesses about what a potential NLDS roster might have in store.
Dave Roberts spoke with Bob Nightingale at USA Today about the pressures of managing the superstar Dodgers, considering the privileges and pitfalls of baseball with characteristic insightfulness.
I kind of love this USA Today headline: “Can the Dodgers be stopped?” Because…yeah. They totally can. Have we been watching the same season? The bullpen is still a major concern, write both Bill Plaschke and Dylan Hernández at the Los Angeles Times (We get it, guys! Enough!), and the offense’s home-run spree yesterday was nearly the only thing standing between a decisive win and a shaky loss.
Fun fact: The Dodgers lead the league in pitch clock violations, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN). Their team total for the regular season was 26, one more than the New York Mets. Who had the fewest? None other than the Cincinnati Reds (tied with the Kansas City Royals) with a very respectable three.
Feeling like the playoff structure is still not right? You aren’t the only one. David Murphy at the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that a Dodgers-Phillies series could be a win all around for the league, the fans, and the networks—if the weird playoff schedule doesn’t end up costing the Phils momentum.