Dodgers Clinched the NL West
October 13, 2017
On Friday, September 22nd, 2017, the Dodgers clenched their league for the fifth consecutive year in a row with a victory of 4-2 over the San Francisco Giants! They stand with 98 wins and 56 losses. Even with the terrifying 11 game losing streak, the Dodgers came right back to the top; however, there’s no guarantee that they will go to the World Series. The last appearance the Dodgers had at the World Series was in 1988.
This was a special day for the Dodgers and their 51,159 fans, as they were celebrating their former Dodgers’ manager 90th birthday, and hope rose that they would go to the World Series. Sinatra’s songs were played during the post-game; Sinatra sang the national anthem on Lasorda’s first opening day game as their manager in 1977.
The pitcher for the Dodgers was Rich Hill and for the Giants was Jeff Samardzija. The first score was made by Posey, the Giants’ player, with a single to the center, which allowed Gorkys Hernandez to score a run in the top of the first inning. On the bottom of the third inning, the Dodgers scored with a double to center by Hill; Forsythe scored from second base, which made the game 1-1. Then the Dodgers’ star player, Bellinger, made a home run to bring Taylor and Seager home to make the score 1-4. In the top of the ninth inning, the Giants got on the board with just one homer to end the score 4-2.
The game brought the fans up on their feet and edged the Dodgers closer to the World Series. Since the last time they won the championship was in 1988, fans are eager and hopeful that their team will make it this season. Great players like Corey Seager, Yasiel Puig, Logan Forsythe, and Cody Bellinger- who’s setting home run records this year as a rookie player- paint an optimistic future for the Dodgers. This game was crucial to the Dodgers because it revealed if the Dodgers had the stamina, and eagerness, needed to make it to the next level.
After a rough season the Dodgers are now the National League West Champions for the fifth consecutive year! Their fans are now hoping they will still be setting records in the post-season games coming up against the Colorado Rockies and Arizona DiamondBacks.