The Best Storylines from the NLDS



It’s being called the greatest game in modern postseason history.

As the Dodgers clash with the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the NLCS at Wrigley Field, we took at the storylines from the best game of the MLB Playoffs thus far.

Not since Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series have we seen a Dodger postseason game as epic as Game 5 at Nationals Park against Washington was. 

It was an instant classic and one of the most insane games we’ve ever experienced live. The decisive win-or-go-home game for both teams was filled with wild wonderment and sure amazement.

The intensity and pressure was at a fever pitch, as was the storylines, which for a sports writer were some of the best ever written.

Here are the storylines you may have missed or not known about:

Quack, Quack, Quack, Rich Hill:

A little over a year ago, the starting pitcher from Game 5 of NLDS for the Dodgers was out of the Major Leagues and playing the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

The 36-year-old journeyman pitcher has played with nine different teams in his big league career and ironically started the 2015 season with the Washington Nationals before being released on June 24th

To make his storyline even more interesting, Hill will take mound in Game 3 against the team he made his MLB debut with, the Chicago Cubs.

Max Scherzer’s No-Hit Bid:

The 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner and finalist for the NL Award in 2016 took a no-hitter in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the NLDS. It was the longest no-hit bid in the Nationals/Expos franchise history.

Adding to the storyline, was Scherzer’s 0-3 record in postseason elimination games and the fact he had not lost back-to-back starts since August of 2015. Of course, Scherzer did not factor in the decision in Game 5, but the 20-game winner in the regular season was still unable to win the most important game of his career.

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We Are Young:

Overshadowed in the dramatic finish to Game 5 of the NLDS was the performance of 20-year-old Julio Urias. The Mexican left-hander had not pitched in 14 days before taking the mound in the top of the fifth inning for the Dodgers.

In doing so, he became the youngest player to pitch in the postseason since Don Gullett in 1970, and the sixth youngest all-time. He was also the youngest pitcher to appear in the postseason for the Dodgers and in recording the win, became the youngest player in MLB history to win a game in the postseason.

The Unlucky Number 13:

It may seem like an afterthought now, but Justin Tuner’s 13-pitch at-bat against Max Scherzer in the fourth inning certainly was a battle within a war at the time.

During that important at-bat, Turner saw six sliders, five fastballs, two changeups and fouled off seven pitches. The result was a walk, and the Dodgers didn’t score, but it drove Scherzer’s pitch count up and may have knocked him out of the game earlier than expected in the seventh inning.

The Pick Off Heard Round the World:

Julio Urias lead the league in pickoffs during the 2016 season, despite only playing a couple months. He recorded his league-leading sixth pickoff of the season came at the perfect time as the 20-year-old caught Bryce Harper leaning to end a rally for the Nationals.

The Send From Third:

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The game stopped on a dime in the bottom of the sixth inning when Urias allowed a double down the left field line to Ryan Zimmerman with a runner on first. Nationals third base coach Bob Henley made the decision to send Werth home on the play and Corey Seager gunned him down by at least 20 feet. The call changed the momentum and the Dodgers would rally in the top of the seventh.

The Marathon Seventh Inning:

The seventh inning of Game 5 in the NLDS lasted nearly an hour and 30 minutes. It kicked off with a solo home run by Joc Pederson that tied the score and chased Max Scherzer from the game.

The inning was one of the greatest baseball chess matches you’ll ever see as Howie Kendrick hit a pinch-hit single, Austin Barnes was used as pinch-runner, Charlie Culberson was called upon to bunt (but couldn’t do it), and Justin Turner hit a two-run triple to break the game open.

In just the top half of the inning alone, the Nationals used six different pitchers.

Old Friend Alert:

In the bottom of the seventh, Chris Heisey hit a pinch-hit two run home run to bring the Nationals within a run. The homer should have come as a surprise to no one as Heisey led the league in pinch-hit home runs on the season.

But, did you know that Heisey was with the Dodgers last season and close friend’s with Clayton Kershaw. Heisey’s locker in the Dodgers clubhouse was next to Kershaw’s and fittingly, his first home run in a Dodger uniform was a grand slam in a game that Kershaw started and won. Who got the save in that game? Kenley Jansen.

Where’s Kershaw?

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In something out of a movie or a WWE event, Clayton Kershaw disappeared from the dugout in the bottom of the seventh inning. Reportedly, he was getting loose, stretching, and playing catch in the visiting batting cage.

In the top of the ninth, Kershaw reemerged, albeit with a wardrobe change. He was now wearing his warm-up jacket and had his cleats on. Of course, we know what happened from there as Kershaw headed out to the bullpen and recorded his first MLB save by recording the last two outs of the game including Kershaw killer, Daniel Murphy.

In 2015, Murphy was the only player to homer off Kershaw in the postseason and he did it twice. He had owned Kershaw in the playoffs. Kershaw got him to pop put to second base and then struck out Wilmer Difo to win the game. The save came on one day of rest and after Dave Roberts said “absolutely not” emphatically Kershaw would pitch in any capacity.

Ironically, Kershaw had just one previous save in his career as a professional baseball player. It was in 2006 in Class Rookie ball for the Gulf Coast League Dodgers on August 19, 2006 against the Nationals and Kenley Jansen was his catcher.

Managers:

Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker continued his bad-luck streak as he lost his 9th consecutive game when his team had a chance to clinch in the postseason. The 0-9 record in those games is an MLB record.

Looking ahead, the Dodgers face Joe Maddon in the NLCS. Maddon and Dave Roberts are the only two managers ever hired by Andrew Friedman.

Photo Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

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