|
Thanks to playing on the West Coast, the Dodgers -- hosting Houston -- had the benefit of knowing where they stood going into their regular season finale.
Cincinnati, their chief rival for the wildcard spot, was playing at Pittsburgh in a game that started three hours earlier.
Andrew Zarzour, who grew up a huge Phillies fan, had never rooted so hard for the Pirates in his life. And for awhile, it looked like Pittsburgh might just help out Zarzour's Dodgers, rallying with a run in the eighth to push the contest into extra innings.
As LA got underway against Houston, players couldn't help but keep their eyes on the scoreboard. Cincy-Pittsburgh was tied 4-4 after nine innings, still tied after the 10th, still tied after the 11th and still tied after the 12th.
The Dodgers were clinging to a 1-0 lead in the third when the Reds finally broke the stalemate, scoring two runs in the top of the 13th. That's how the game finished, with Cincy taking a 6-4 win and then hoping Houston would help them out. Zarzour sat in the dugout trying to get mentally prepared for a game he might be throwing against the Reds tomorrow night.
Fortunately for Dodgers' fans, no extra game would be needed. As midnight passed on the East coast, the Dodgers finished off a satisfying 3-0 win over the Astros to close the regular season and win the wildcard by one game.
Ted Lilly got the victory, pitching a masterful five-hit shutout through seven innings. Kazuhiro Sasaki was lights out in the eighth -- four pitches to get three outs. Then Trevor Hoffman closed the deal in the ninth -- no hits, a walk and two strikeouts.
For the second time since Zarzour joined the Big Club, the Dodgers were going to the playoffs!! They didn't celebrate with champaign but LA players did whoop it up a good bit in the clubhouse that night. Zarzour and his buddy Josh Hamilton were right there in the mix.
Here are the match-ups for the playoffs:
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Los Angeles (93-69) vs. St. Louis (94-68)
Montreal (84-78) vs. San Francisco (96-66)
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland (92-70) vs. Boston (100-62)
Anaheim (93-69) vs. Toronto (94-68)
|