October 9th, 2024 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka It was the single worst inning of the season – or ever – in MLB history:
That inning was the top of the second of Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the NL West first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and their division-rival San Diego Padres in front of a Petco Park crowd of 47,744, with millions more watching on television and listening on radio with the Dodgers up 1-0.
That inning saw:
- Dodgers starter Walker Buehler assessed a pitch clock violation and automatic ball when he was unable to hear his PitchCom device amidst deafening chants of “Manny! Manny!” for Padres slugger Manny Machado, who roped Buehler’s 2-1 / 92.8-mph cutter up the middle for a single.
- This was followed by a fielder’s choice ground ball by Padres center fielder Jackson Merrell to Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who airmailed his throw into left field, allowing Machado to take third.
- This was followed by a fielder’s choice ground ball by Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts to Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas, who airmailed his throw well over the head of Freeman, allowing Machado to score and Merrill to take second to tie the game at 1-1 … still with no outs.
- This was followed by a double to right by Padres designated hitter David Peralta, scoring Merrill and Bogaerts, to make it 3-1 Padres … still with no outs.
- This was followed by an infield single by Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth to Rojas, allowing Peralta to take third … still with no outs.
- This was followed by a sacrifice fly to center by Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka, allowing Peralta to score to make it 4-1 Padres, but now (finally) with one out.
- This was followed by a pop-out by Padres first baseman Luis Arráez to Rojas for the second out of the inning.
- This was followed by a devastating 396-foot two-run home run to center by Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. to make it 6-1 Padres.
- This was followed by an infield single by Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar to Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, bringing Machado to the plate for his second at-bat of the inning. Fortunately, Machado flied out to Dodgers centerfielder Tommy Edman to mercifully bring the nightmare inning to an end.
“It was the kind of inning that has doomed the Dodgers so often in recent Octobers, full of defensive miscues, poor pitching and – once the tide started to turn – an inability to steady themselves before it was too late,” wrote LA Times Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris of the Dodgers single worst inning in franchise history.
The Dodgers did make things interesting when, with one out in the top of the third inning, Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández slugged a 403-foot grand slam home run to center to make it a 6-5 ballgame.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers managed only one additional hit after Teo’s granny, a harmless single to center by Freeman in the top of the eighth.
As for Buehler, he finished his five innings of work, allowing six runs (all earned) on seven hits while walking one and striking out none.
“You can’t give up six runs in an inning in the playoffs and expect to win,” Bueller said postgame. “You know, there are some things that I have some pride about about that game, but at the end of the day, I put us in a really bad spot, and we fought back, and I just… the spot was too big.”
(SportsNet LA)
Dodgers international superstar Shohei Ohtani summed Tuesday’s nightmare game up best:
“What’s done is done now, so at this point, it’s really very simple: it’s to win two games,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton.
In other words, it’s Win or Go Home.
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
Freddie and Rojas blew it. Buehler could have been out of that inning with only 1 or 2 runs scored if they had made better decisions.
Might be some big changes coming at the top following tonight’s game.
Where to begin? Bottom of the second, a game of inches…..and let me add something; would a healthy Freddie and a healthy Miggy make those two totally game altering plays? They have both made those two plays a thousand times. Freddie and Miggy know their positions as well as anybody. Six inches to the left and Machado is a dead dead duck at 2nd; one out and Merrill on 1st. 12 inches faster and Miggy gets Merrill at 2nd, probably not Cronenworth at first so two outs and a runner on 1st. Peralta doubles and Cronenworth probably scores from first like he did, but Higashioka doesn’t get a sac fly, maybe just a routine fly ball and were out of the inning; one run one man left.
I don’t blame Bueller and I think Freddie and Miggy make those plays when healthy, or maybe I am wishful thinking. With that said, I need some wishes to come true, no doubt we need a little magic to win tonight and most likely Friday night if we do win tonight. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I for one am pretty sick of Machado, Tatis and Profar taunting the Dodgers. Oh it’s not blatant, but it is for sure taunting. Machado running out of the base path, I don’t care what the rule is. Tatis and all his slap stick dancing and prancing, and Profar is probably the worst with his “do I have the ball or don’t I?” These Padres are full of themselves and probably for good reason, but they sure make it easy to disdain them. Not quite Astro punks, but getting close. It takes magic and I thought we had some when Profar missed Mookie’s HR in the first. But we lost it all in the second; a little magic and Machado and Merrill are both out. Time for all Dodger fans to go to the wishing well, the birthday candles, the shooting star, find the lucky penny, I don’t care but we have got to get some mojo, some karma, can I say, some luck?
So tonight, Ohtani needs to be Ohtani, not just a week broken bat single and then get punched out 3 out of 4 or whatever it was. Mookie needs to see the ball and hit the ball, Edman, Smith, Muncy, Lux, and whoever else, if not Freddie and Miggy then Pages and Kike or Taylor (see RC’s earlier comments). The Padres are going to hit and get on base, but we are going to need some blue magic to get those extra inches where the ball gets past Machado and into Miggy’s glove and Miggy’s foot gets to the bag before the runner, that is all the blue magic that we need. Finally, shout out to Teo! What a smooth operator, in the clutch he delivers; that was some blue magic off of a pitcher that does not give up homeruns, Teo gets the Granny! With all that we were right there! I can feel what Shohei is thinking, he’s thinking “I am better than this, I can hit these guys!” Everybody is burying the Dodgers, in the words of Bonnie Raitt, “let’s give them something to talk about, a little mystery to figure out!” Then in game five it will truly be winner take all and at least for the moment own SoCal!
Let’s Go Dodgers!
Spelling correction weak not week broken bat single. Humble apologies, just a little fired up!
Sorry, two more corrections, it was Bogaerts I believe that hit after Merrill, not Cronenworth. And when Higashioka makes the last out; one run and TWO runners left on base.
Why perpetuate that Freddie and Rojas CAUSED what happened in 2nd inning? THEY DID NOT.
Manny deliberately veered onto the grass to obstruct Freddie’s throw to Rojas. Th ball hit Manny’s helmet which diverted it from being caught by Rojas. Freddie DID NOT “air mail” his throw into left field.
Yes, it IS allowed under the current rules – which are grossly inconsistent under Manfred. You can’t tackle the catcher to prevent an out at home anymore. You can’t veer toward an infielder @ 2nd to cause collision to prevent that player from making a play. Yet it’s ok to run anywhere you want on the infield grass as long as you aren’t avoiding a tag? Because it is not against the rules it is not “cheating”. But it IS punk behavior at which Manny is a champ. He’s done LOTS of shenanigans on the field over his career.
I totally agree with Dan, but I think it hit his shoulder, no? Look at the replay, Machado is a punk and the Dodgers have got to stop saying it was a good move, IT WAS A PUNK MOVE and it is a stupid rule! It made for an impossible baseball play, Manfred is MORON! Maybe the first baseman should just drill a ball into the back of the runner? Stupid!
Or should we say, Win and stay home. Bring on the Mets..