Who can forget it. The date was September 19, 2013. The first place Dodgers were facing the second place Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. At stake was the 2013 National League West Division title, which the Dodgers could clinch with a win.

The Dodgers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a three-run home run by Hanley Ramirez off of Dbacks left-hander Wade Miley. But just when the champagne was being put on ice in the visitors clubhouse, Dodgers right-hander Ricky Nolasco coughed up six runs in the bottom of the third and it appeared that the Dodgers would have to wait at least one more day – or longer – to celebrate.

The Dodgers tacked on two more runs in their half of the sixth inning on a Scott Van Slyke RBI double and a Michael Young sacrifice fly to pull within one of the snakes. They then tied it at six in the top of the seventh inning on yet another Hanley Ramirez home run – this one a solo shot.

But then something unexpected happened … or was it unexpected?

Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis stepped up to the plate to leadoff the top of the eighth and launched the first pitch he saw from Dbacks right-hander Josh Collmenter five rows deep into the left field bleachers. Not only did Ellis’ home run give the Dodgers a 7-6 lead, it completely took the wind out of the Dbacks sail as Messrs. Brian Wilson, J.P. Howell and Kenley Jansen retired the Diamondbacks in order in the eighth and ninth innings to give the Dodgers the win and the division title. And while most of the attention over the next two weeks centered around the infamous (and ridiculous) “Poolgate” incident, A.J. Ellis quietly went on to hit two additional home runs – one on September 21 against the Padres and one on September 27 against the Rockies – to give him 10 on the season.

Ellis’ game and division-winning home run against the Diamondbacks on September 19, 2013 is undoubtedly the biggest of his eight-year MLB career. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

And then there was September 19, 2014 – exactly one year to the day later – when Ellis hit not one but two home runs at Wrigley Field in a lopsided 14-5 win over the last place Chicago Cubs.

But 2013 and 2014 were not the only years in which Ellis got hot in September. He hit one home run in September 2011 and two in September of 2012.

And then there’s the postseason in which Ellis has a career triple-slash of .386 / .481 / .682 for an incredible 1.163 OPS. Of his 44 postseason hits, two were home runs, five were doubles and one was (are you ready for this) a triple.

Ellis was red hot during the 2014 NLDS in which he hit a team-high .538 with a home run, a double and two RBIs. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The point here is that it is obvious, so very very obvious, that Ellis gets smoking hot each September and into the postseason, and his numbers consistently bear this out. So why, then, does Dodgers manager Don Mattingly continue to run Yasmani Grandal, who is currently mired in an atrocious 0 for 33 slump, out there for the bulk of the starts when Ellis is unquestionably the better player right now?

Although September is only six games old, Ellis is already 4 for 8 (.500) with an RBI and is absolutely scorching the ball right now. Grandal, on the other hand, is clearly still nursing his injured left (non-throwing) shoulder which will not heal properly if he continues to play.

With Austin Barnes now with the club as a September call-up, why not have Ellis and his hot bat do the bulk of the catching with Barnes as his back-up and allow Grandal’s shoulder to completely heal over the next two weeks so that he will be at 100 percent when the postseason arrives? And even then, if Ellis does his usual September thing, why not let him be the primary catcher in the postseason with Grandal as his back-up?

For those who want to argue that Grandal is the better defensive catcher of the two, I have some shocking news for you. Ellis currently leads the National League with his 45.7 caught stealing percentage. We’re talking better than Yadier Molina (41.8), Buster Posey (39.3) and way better than Yasmani Grandal (28.4). Granted, Ellis hasn’t played in nearly as many games this season as these other catchers have, but his career 34.0 caught stealing percentage pales Grandal’s career 21.0 percent. Additionally, Ellis has a career .996 fielding percentage behind the dish compared to Grandal’s .993 fielding percentage.

What cannot be argued is that, when healthy, Grandal is a better overall offensive catcher regardless of how well A.J. does in September – and this is apparently the nail that Mattingly is hanging his hat on. Whereas Ellis has four home runs, six doubles and 12 RBIs thus far this season, Grandal has 15 home runs, 12 doubles and 44 RBIs. But here again, Grandal has played in 102 games this season and Ellis in only 46 – a huge disparity. And while it is highly unlikely that Ellis would have come anywhere close to the numbers that Grandal has put up even if he played as many games, you simply cannot overlook what Ellis inherently does when fall is in the air.

Here’s your chance, Don. Do the right thing.