Yasiel Puig and Cody Bellinger flexed their muscles. Chris Taylor flashed some leather. Then, the Los Angeles Dodgers got a lift from ace Clayton Kershaw out of the bullpen to finish off the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night and once again return to the World Series.
Puig broke open a tight contest with a three-run homer in the sixth inning, Taylor robbed Christian Yelich with a super catch and the Dodgers took Game 7 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) with a 5-1 win.
It is off to Fenway Park tomorrow for a showdown against the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“It’s pretty cool. It’s going to be a pretty special series,” said Bellinger, chosen as the NLCS Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Los Angeles have not won the World Series since 1988.
The Dodgers and Red Sox have met once before in the World Series, back in 1916 with Boston beating Brooklyn behind a big game from pitcher Babe Ruth.
Kenley Jansen tossed 1-1/3 scoreless innings before yielding to Kershaw in the ninth. The three-time Cy Young Award winner, pitching on two days of rest after starting Game 5, finished off the Brewers by striking out Mike Moustakas in a perfect ninth.
Kershaw’s teammates mobbed the lefty near the mound after the final out, and the celebration was just beginning for the Dodgers.
“I’m just so proud of our guys for enduring this roller coaster of a season,” manager Dave Roberts said.
What a surge for a team who were 10 games under .500 on May 16.
The Dodgers have talked about having unfinished business after losing Game 7 of the World Series last year to the Houston Astros.
Now they have made baseball’s final series of the year in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1977-1978 season.
“I know how lucky I am to be a part of it two years in a row,” Bellinger said.
With their 23rd pennant, the Dodgers have matched the rival Giants for most among NL teams.
The Brewers had their chances against rookie starter Walker Buehler, a 24-year-old right-hander who navigated through trouble over 4-2/3 innings. He allowed six hits, including a home run in the first by Yelich that made it 1-0.
Yelich looked like he would hurt the Dodgers again in the fifth with Lorenzo Cain on second with two outs.
The NL MVP candidate hit a high, hard liner to left that seemed destined to fall in for a double.
Running at full speed to his left, Taylor extended his glove high in the air just as the ball settled into the mitt to end the inning.
“They made the plays, they made the pitches when they had to in order to win,” Yelich said.
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