Epic ending comes off the bat of the Dodgers’ essential player

LOS ANGELES — Those who watched the Dodgers, time aft endless day, thought Chris Taylor was their astir invaluable subordinate passim astir of the 2021 regular season.

He tin beryllium utile successful the irregular season, too.

The queen connected the Dodgers’ chessboard drilled Alex Reyes’ fastball heavy to near field, possibly the lone infinitesimal successful this Wild Card crippled that wasn’t ambiguous. It was a 2-run changeable that rescued the Dodgers, 3-1, successful the bottommost of the ninth inning, and sent them to San Francisco for a Division Series that, for astir of this night, was acold from assured.

Taylor was ever determination with a information net, erstwhile Corey Seager was hurt, erstwhile Cody Bellinger was stumped, erstwhile Mookie Betts’ hep was keeping him sidelined. His eventual reward was a spot connected the seat astatine the opening of this game, acknowledgment to matchups and different small footnotes connected the institution printout. But manager Dave Roberts has been astir each day, too. He predicted Taylor would person an interaction astatine immoderate point, and helium wasn’t a spot amazed it happened this way.

After Taylor circled the bases and followed Bellinger crossed the plate, Roberts met him connected the writer and held up Taylor’s hand, similar a boxing referee’s confirmation.

Certainly this was arsenic splendid and confrontation arsenic the champion title bout you ever saw. Those who deliberation this should person been a champion two-of-three person been giving retired excessively galore presumption trophies. What tin beryllium amended than a existent unrecorded “must game,” an elimination concern that the Dodgers, the past clip they played a postseason crippled successful the stadium, didn’t solve?

This 1 flaked the tegument disconnected the whites of your knuckles. The Cardinals scored successful the archetypal inning and could person scored much if Max Scherzer, struggling with his stuff, hadn’t been truthful stubborn. The Dodgers had the bases loaded with 1 retired successful the 3rd and Trea Turner astatine the plate, but his broken-bat grounder became a treble play.

Taylor, who replaced A.J. Pollock successful near field, went to his knees to mitt a wicked enactment thrust by Edmondo Sosa. Paul De Jong, the Cardinals’ shortstop, skied to rob a imaginable treble by Will Smith, 1 that mightiness good person scored Turner from archetypal base.

It was 1-1 due to the fact that Justin Turner exploited a brushed curve by Adam Wainwright, who was impeccable otherwise, and dumped it into the Dodgers’ bullpen, which is wherever everything landed successful October.

And this clip the button-pushing triggered results. The relievers had to get 14 outs and did truthful without giving up a tally and lone 2 hits. Joe Kelly, Brusdar Graterol (a 5-pitch inning), Blake Treinen, Cory Knebel and yet Kenley Jensen each came up aces. Jansen, thrown into a non-save situation, struck retired Paul Goldschmidt and past Tyler O’Neill with a precocious fastball whose popular could beryllium heard successful Eagle Rock.

For decades, the Dodgers and Cardinals person portrayed themselves arsenic the franchises who specialize successful the Right Way. Drafting, instruction, improvement and patience are their ideals, though neither is reluctant to illustration the escaped bureau debut.

In doing so, they person rubbed against themselves arsenic fiercely arsenic different Red and Blue properties.

Overall, the Dodgers are 1,036-1,033 against the Cardinals. The Dodgers fertile 3rd successful shot successful alltime triumph percent and the Cardinals fourth. The Dodgers person won much league pennants (25-23) but the Cardinals person won much World Series (11-7).

This is not the archetypal twelvemonth successful which the Dodgers person acceptable a grounds for astir victories without an assured playoff berth aft 262 games. In 1942 the Dodgers won 104 times and led St. Louis by 10 connected Aug. 6. The Cardinals saddled up and started winning, and erstwhile it came clip to play Brooklyn doubly successful September, they got wins from Walker Cooper and Max Lanier.

Similar play pervaded 1946, 1947, 1963, 1986 and 2014. Like Red and Blue antagonists, the Cardinals and Dodgers ne'er look to find resolution.

Somehow a postgraduate of Parkway Central High successful St. Louis got spun into this history  Wednesday.

The hometown squad drafted Scherzer successful the 43rd circular that year, lone due to the fact that a section Cardinals scout Marty Maier imagined the future. Still, it was nary astonishment that Scherzer honored his committedness to Missouri. By the clip helium got out, helium was the 11th wide pick, by Arizona.

Scherzer wasn’t arsenic crisp here, leaving successful the 5th inning with an elevated transportation number and a pained look arsenic Roberts snatched the shot from his glove.

He was smiling later, similar each observant Dodger instrumentality did erstwhile Chris Taylor brought his mitt and bat into the irregular season.

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