Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m not usually a loud sports fan, especially when my teams aren’t playing, but I let out a hearty yell on the final play of the Braves-Phillies game.
In today’s SI:AM:
Early exits for the Dodgers and Orioles?
Two of baseball’s three 100-win teams have their backs against the wall, while the third avoided falling into an 0–2 hole thanks to two unforgettable clutch plays last night.
The Braves, who, until the bottom of the eighth inning last night, sure looked like they’d also be down 0–2. Atlanta was held scoreless by seven Phillies pitchers in Game 1 and was stymied early on in Game 2 by Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. But Travis d’Arnaud’s two-run homer off Wheeler in the seventh cut the Phillies’ lead to 4–3, setting the stage for a dramatic final two innings.
With two outs and a full count in the bottom of the eighth, Austin Riley hit a towering two-run home run off Jeff Hoffman to put the Braves ahead, 5–4. The homer came on a slider, a pitch Hoffman has baffled players with this season. Before last night, batters were 6-for-81 (.076) with just one home run against Hoffman’s slider.
The Braves won by doing what they do best: hitting home runs. Atlanta tied the MLB record with 307 total home runs this season as it led the majors with 5.85 runs per game. After its big bats were silenced in the first game of the series, d’Arnaud and Riley got the Atlanta offense back on track to even the series.
The biggest play of the game, though, was the last one. With one out in the top of the ninth and Bryce Harper on first, Nick Castellanos hit a fly ball deep into the right-center field gap. Braves center fielder Michael Harris II tracked it down and leaped at the wall to make the catch. His throw back to the infield was slightly off line and missed cutoff man Ozzie Albies. Luckily for the Braves, Riley had smartly gotten into perfect position to back Albies up and made a strong throw to first to double up Harper, ending the game. It was as good a game-ending play as you’ll ever see—and the first 8-5-3 double play in postseason history.
The NL’s No. 2 seed wasn’t as fortunate last night. The Dodgers are now facing elimination after losing another home game to the Diamondbacks. 4–2. Rookie starter Bobby Miller gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in just 1⅔ innings of work. Pitching was the biggest problem in Game 1 as well, as Clayton Kershaw allowed six runs and got only one out. But the Los Angeles offense has also not lived up to expectations. After averaging 5.59 runs per game (second to only the Braves), the Dodgers have scored just four runs combined in the first two games of this series. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have one hit between them (an infield single by Freeman in the first inning last night).
There’s reason to believe the Dodgers can reverse their fortunes, though. Arizona used its two best starters in the first two games of the series (Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen), both of whom pitched excellent games. But the D-Backs lack pitching depth. The expected Game 3 starter, rookie Brandon Pfaadt, had a 5.72 ERA in 18 starts this season. As long as the Dodgers’ pitchers (led by projected starter Lance Lynn) can limit the damage, they have a decent chance of extending the series in Game 3.
One top team’s season could end tonight. The Orioles, fresh off their best regular season since 1979, need a win tonight in Texas to avoid being eliminated. Baltimore wilted in Game 2 against the Rangers when the team appeared completely unprepared for rookie starter Grayson Rodriguez’s early struggles. Rodriguez gave up five runs on six hits and four walks in 1⅔ innings, and manager Brandon Hyde didn’t have an aggressive plan to try to keep the O’s in the game, instead turning to the team’s usual middle relievers. Game 3 starter Dean Kremer is also liable for failure (he gave up at least five runs in two of his final four regular-season starts), so Hyde ought to have a better plan if things start going off the rails tonight.
The best of Sports Illustrated
Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports
- Stephanie Apstein has more on Austin Riley’s clutch night for the Braves.
- Conor Orr had no doubt about who should be No. 1 in his new NFL power rankings.
- The Raiders-Packers game last night was a slog, which Matt Verderame believes is evidence Jimmy Garoppolo and Jordan Love need to step up and prove they’re the quarterback of the future for their respective teams.
- Chris Herring breaks down the new-look Grizzlies, who added Derrick Rose and Marcus Smart in hopes of breaking through this season.
- Pat Forde has three plausible scenarios that could throw a major wrench in the College Football Playoff.
- Greg Bishop spoke to Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, who lost his sister to suicide in 2018, about being a mental health advocate.
- This is a big blow for the Dolphins (and fantasy football players): Running back De’Von Achane is reportedly expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks.
The top five...
… things I saw last night:
5. Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s homer on a pitch below the zone to extend the D-Backs’ lead.
4. Victor Wembanyama’s up-and-under to beat Chet Holmgren at the rim.
3. Wembanyama’s crossover and strong finish, again on Holmgren.
2. The video of Austin Riley’s home run with just crowd noise.
1. The video of the Braves’ double play with just crowd noise.
SIQ
The Dodgers beat the Mets in Game 2 of the NLDS on this day in 2015, thanks in part to a violent slide by Chase Utley that broke the leg of which New York infielder?
- Daniel Murphy
- Wilmer Flores
- Rubén Tejada
- Kelly Johnson
Yesterday’s SIQ: Who hit a walk-off homer to give the Astros the win in the first 18-inning game in MLB history Oct. 9, 2005?
- José Vizcaíno
- Chris Burke
- Lance Berkman
- Jason Lane
Answer: Chris Burke. His homer off of Cardinals pitcher Joey Devine in the bottom of the 18th sent the Astros to the NLCS and ended what was the longest postseason game in MLB history to that point.
Burke was an unlikely hero, to say the least. The light-hitting utilityman entered the game in the 10th inning as a pinch runner for Lance Berkman. He had five homers in 108 games in the regular season and finished his career with just 23 homers in 477 games. But he pounced on a ball Devine left over the heart of the plate and sent it into the Crawford Boxes to win the series.
Since that game, there have been two other 18-inning postseason games: Game 1 of the 2014 NLDS (Giants 2, Nationals 1) and Game 3 of the ’18 World Series (Dodgers 3, Red Sox 2).
