The Fall Classic is upon us.
That’s right, we have crossed the threshold into October. While the regular world celebrates the return of Pumpkin Spice lattes, those locked into the world of baseball will begin their annual love/hate relationship that is the Postseason.
Wednesday afternoon, 1,106 season ticket holders were invited to Dodger Stadium to observe the Boys in Blue challenge, well, the Boys in Blue in a workout to shake off the rust before the 2023 National League Division Series gets underway on Saturday.
All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman captained a portion of the roster in the blue “Away” uniforms, while fellow All-Star Mookie Betts skippered the home team decked in the classic white uniforms.
The team ran through drills while playing a loose game with some good at-bats. Freeman accidentally got hit by a pitch in the top of the fourth and playfully charged the mound before taking first base. And an in-game “trade” occurred for just the fifth inning, where utility player Chris Taylor batted against his own team before rejoining his own roster the next inning.
Fans got a chance to see some familiar faces playing on the field: catcher Tucker Barnhart, outfielder Jonny Deluca, infielder Michael Busch, and second baseman Miguel Vargas, who is now sporting jersey number 27, since popular (and recently reacquired) former Dodgers right-hander Joe Kelly is once again sporting his familiar number 17.
Both lineups made it through six innings before the matchup ended. Michael Busch even crushed a home run into the empty Right Field Pavilion to score a run for the “home team” Dodgers. The good news is that the ‘Dodgers’ won.
Dodgers President of Operations Andrew Friedman and General Manager Brandon Gomes met with reporters following the workout to address the upcoming Division Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had just swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-three National League Wild Card Series.
Now that it was clear that the Boys in Blue would be facing the Snakes during the first round, Friedman addressed questions regarding the team’s opponent.
“Obviously, really familiar with them (Diamondbacks),” Friedman stated. “They’re a really good team. And we have a lot history with them. We know them well, they know us well. And we’re looking forward to it.”
Friedman had a lot of good things to say about his team. In addition to the depth that has carried them through the season, he applauded Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on his relentless optimism that helped to get the group where they are. He even touched on how cohesive the group was and that the natural evolution of bringing in players that meshed well with the existing team helped make them stand out this year.
And to no one’s surprise, it was officially announced that future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw would have the honor of starting Game-1 of the NLDS on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. Friedman mentioned that the southpaw is the greatest competitor he has ever seen and is definitely pleased with the postseason outlook despite the odd schedule.
“There’s going to be tough decisions and probably some really talented pitchers that won’t make this roster,” Friedman shared. “And I think it just speaks to the depth, the number of guys who have really stepped up this year. And we’ve talked about this in the past, we may have to approach it in a more unconventional way. But the arm-talent and the depth that we have, we feel really good about.”
“Obviously, we’re not looking past the Division Series,” Friedman cautioned. “But the Division Series sets up with days off and things that allow for different scenarios than we’ve been afforded in the past. This Game-1 off, Game-2 is different. We’ve never had that before and I think those off days are an advantage. We’ll use it and figure out the best way to use that to our advantage.”
All in all, Dodger fans have a lot to be grateful for. Their team made it farther than anyone thought at the start of the year. As injuries sidelined many of the pitching staff, the group still found a way to come together and win their 10th division title in the last eleven years.
General Manager Brandon Gomes summed it up pretty well.
“I think what it’s lacking potentially in some experience, we have in talent,” Gomes said. “But overall this group has performed really well, especially down the stretch, so excited to see these guys get out there and perform.”
Here’s to Los Angeles winning one game at a time.
Let’s go Dodgers!