Baseball is a game of never-ending statistics. There will always be a new record broken or a new stat for a player or a team. With all the preparation in the world, stats are just that, though, stats.
The humanity of the game also needs to be taken into consideration. It takes 162 games to earn the right to play in the postseason. And for every player on every team, there will be good days and bad days on the road to October.
As a fan, it can be easy to get caught up in the statistics and how things should play out on paper. It is also a lot harder to remember that the players are human. And if we are honest, players play their hearts out for this sport, for the fans, and for love of the game.
These young men are on the biggest stage there is. Their best and worst moments are on display for everyone to see and to judge, as well. What we armchair managers forget is that we have the benefit of hindsight, even if it is the moment after a play is completed. In contrast, the player or manager has to make split-second decisions that have real-time impacts on the game.
What a luxury we fans have.
That is the price we pay for fandom, though. We ride the highs and lows with the team without actually setting foot on the field. And once a team gets to the postseason, that is another beast entirely.
In a year when most had counted the Dodgers out at the start of the season, they proved to the baseball world that they could overcome injuries, controversies, and even a lack of expectations to lead the NL West Division once again.
Unfortunately, Wednesday night in Game-3 of the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Boys in Blue were unable to stretch beyond the first three games of the 2023 postseason.
Whether it was the loss of momentum from the break between the regular season ending and the Wild Card series or the team was running on fumes, we will never know. Regardless, Los Angeles will never use any of those circumstances as an excuse for not advancing.
What needs to be remembered in the disappointment of losing an elimination game is that this team did play their heart out. They gave everything they had and then some. This year it was not enough to propel them beyond the first series, but it still got them farther than anyone gave them credit for.
As we put away our gear and begin looking forward to the offseason’s hot stove chatter and eventually, Spring Training, let’s remember what this team accomplished. All of the records the Dodgers set and the memories made throughout the season.
This is the team we love. These are the players we support. There will always be a new game and a fresh start in the race from March to October. And until the final out, any team has a shot at winning on any given day. This is why we love baseball. This is also why we sign on each spring to potentially have our hearts broken come Fall.
Because, as Brad Pitt’s character said in the movie Moneyball:
How can you not be romantic about baseball?