October 26th, 2017 at 9:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka When Dodger fans painfully read, watch or listen to re-caps of Wednesday night’s heartbreaking 7-6 loss to the Houston Astros in game-2 of the 2017 World Series, they will read, see or hear words like epic, remarkable, impossible, and even historic. And while each one of there adjectives most certainly describes Wednesday night’s historic 11-inning / four-hour and 13 minute affair, the brutally painful truth is the the Dodgers didn’t lose this game in the 11th inning as the box score indicates, they actually lost it in the bottom of the seventh inning long before Kenley Jansen‘s blown save; long before the plethora of home runs by Astros sluggers Marwin Gonzalez in the ninth inning, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa in the 10th inning and George Springer in the 11th inning, and even long before the home runs by Dodgers sluggers Yasiel Puig in the bottom of the 10th inning and Charlie Culberson in the bottom of the 11th.
Buried deep in the box score of the bottom of the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s game you will find that Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger led off the inning by reaching first base on a throwing error by Astros third baseman Alex Bregman with the Dodgers nurturing a precarious 3-1 lead. One batter later, Astros right-hander Will Harris uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Bellinger to take second base. Puig then grounded out to short allowing Bellinger to advance to third base with one out.
It is here that the Dodgers lost game-2 of the 2017 World Series.
With one out and with 25 ways to score from third base, Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson (who had helped build that 3-1 Dodgers lead with his solo home run in the fifth inning) and catcher Austin Barnes both struck out to end the inning, the threat and, quite frankly, the game.
Yet another ‘what if’ in baseball history.
Had Pederson or Barnes been able to score Bellinger from third base, the final score would have been 4-2 when Jansen gave up an extremely rare home run to Gonzalez in the top of the ninth, thus not blowing his first save in what seems like a decade and the Dodgers would be heading to Houston up two games to none in the Fall Classic instead of the series now tied at one, with the next three games being played at Minute Maid Park where the Astros were 48-33 during the regular season.
There isn’t much doubt that Joc Pederson was trying to hit his second home run of the night when he struck out swinging with Cody Bellinger standing on third base and only one out in the bottom of seventh inning.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
The good news is that the Dodgers were 47-34 on the road during their MLB-best 104-58 regular season, so they’ve got that going for them.
Unfortunately, because of Pederson’s and Barnes’ inability to score Belly from third base in the bottom of the seventh, the 2017 World Series is now a best-of-five series, with the Astros now having the epitome of home field advantage.
Then again, it really doesn’t matter what baseball writers print or what television and radio broadcasters, and an endless cast of so-called baseball experts and analysts have to say about game-2. The bottom line – and it is here – is that it’s what happens between the lines that matters, not what you read, watch or listen to in the media.
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“. . .the 2017 World Series is now a best-of-five series, with the Astros now having the epitome of home field advantage.”
Home field advantage is a nice thing to have, but is very fragile. Dodgers lost one game at home and the ‘stros have taken it away from them. Now, they win one game in Houston and they’ll take it back. They could come home down 3-2 but both remaining games will be in Dodger Stadium.
That’s why we play the game.
This game was truly a classic. Like most people, I’m sure, my emotions just kept going up and down. We lost it, we won it, we lost it, we won it, we lost it. Like many others, it’s a lost the team just has to put behind them and go on to the next game and like many times in the past, it will. It’s going to be tough, but who said it wouldn’t be?
That was indeed an important point in the game. Not getting that run it was troubling and Joc wasn’t even trying to loft a ball to the OF or a ground ball to the right side giving Cody a chance to beat a throw home.
For me another moment preparing the way for a defeat was removing Hill after four good innings and 60 pitches. I was uncomfortable with that move as soon as it was made. One more inning may well have meant that things would have moved on and Kenley just needing a three-out save.
I haven’t seen the game yet, will see it tonight. I’m assuming Joc was swinging for the fences, as usual.
I keep thinking, “What if Capt. Clutch was batting in that slot?”
Your assumption is correct. Joc swung at three high pitches, some most likely above the strike zone.
My expectation, and hope, is Joc will be wearing a different uniform next year.
I tend to agree, RTR. There will be a need to open up a spot for Andrew Toles If / when he is ready to return and Joc currently has the best trade value of all current Dodger outfielders. That being said, the Dodgers may opt to hang on to him with Ethier more than likely on the way out.
Couldn’t agree with you more. When they weren’t able to score that run from third with less then two outs I thought to myself I hope this doesn’t come back to bite them ….and it did!
All of that aside, it was wonderful … absolutely wonderful spending time with you, my friend. Glad you made it home safely.