There is still a lot of baseball yet to be played in the 2021 National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, but the so-called ‘defining moment’ (or two) of the best-of-five series may have already occurred; both coming in Game-2 at Oracle Park on Saturday night.

The first of those two defining moments actually wasn’t a play at all, but rather a decision made by second-year Giants manager Gabe Kapler in the top of the second inning of the eventual 9-2 Dodgers rout of his team.

With two outs in the top of the second inning and runners on second and third and on a 2-0 count, Kapler elected to have right-hander Kevin Gausman intentionally walk hot-hitting Dodgers veteran left fielder AJ Pollock and instead pitch to Dodgers starting left-hander Julio Urías. It was either a very risky roll of the dice by the Giants skipper or he was unaware (or just plain ignored) the fact that the 25-year-old Culiacan, Mexico native was a very good hitting pitcher, who went 12-for-59 (.203) with two doubles and a National League-leading nine RBI during the regular season; or he neglected to read the scouting report on Urías.

On Gausman’s third pitch of the at-bat – an 83.8-MPH splitter – Urías roped it into right field for a base hit to give the Dodgers – and himself – a then 1-0 lead.

“It was exciting to get the team going,” Urías said postgame through an interpreter. “I think they fed off that, a lot of energy after that, and we produced after that.”

Produced indeed. Urías’ RBI singled was followed by an RBI single to left by Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, to make it 2-0.

Speaking of Betts, the 29-year-old Nashville, TN native and fifth-round draft pick in 2011 by the Boston Red Sox out of Overton High School in Nashville had the other defining moment of the night – and perhaps of the series – when, with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and runners at the corners, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford lined an RBI single to right field in front of the future Hall of Famer. For reasons that only he knows, Giants first baseman Wilmer Flores broke one of baseball’s biggest – and oldest – Golden Rules when he tried to take third on Crawford’s single. That Golden Rule is, as every player and baseball enthusiast knows: ‘Never make the first or third out at third base.’

Flores made the third out at third base on an absolutely perfect on-the-fly throw from Betts to Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner.

Flores was out by, as Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully used to say, “…from me to you,” and on what current Dodgers broadcaster Charley Steiner appropriately called “…a bonehead play.”

“That’s just a feel play. That’s (an) at-bat off a breaking ball, full swing into the bat (by) Crawford,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame of Betts’ momentum-changing play. “Saying as an outfielder, you see the full swing, so you have to hesitate and he might have broke back and didn’t get the best read, but to kind of re-group, still finish the play, and keep his head up, that was a big out because that was (Dodgers right-hander Joe Kelly‘s) last hitter. So, to be able to start that inning fresh with a new reliever, that was big.”

Here again, there is still a lot of baseball left to play in the NLDS and a lot can happen over the next two (or three) games. But it’s impossible to argue that Urías’ clutch base hit and Betts’ highlight-reel defensive play were not momentum-changers for the defending World Series Champions.

Thanks, Kap. We needed that.

Play Ball!

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