The Dodgers are champions for the first time since 1988 after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in Game 6 of the World Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Oct. 27, 2020.
Here’s a recap of the historic win.
More Dodgers World Series coverage
The Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in Game 6 of the World Series to win their first championship since 1988.
ARLINGTON, Texas — There will be much, much more coverage to come, but here is some of the LA Times’ early coverage of the Dodgers’ World Series championship:
Game story: Dodgers defeat the Tampa Bay Rays to win first World Series title since 1988
Plaschke: Dodgers’ sixth World Series title since moving to L.A. might be sweetest
Photos: Dodgers defeat Rays to capture World Series title
More: Justin Turner left the World Series clincher after testing positive for coronavirus
More: Justin Turner’s quiet leadership shines during the strangest of championship seasons
More: Give this Dodgers’ title an asterisk, one that signifies a season of unique difficulty
More: Dodgers’ World Series win gives L.A. a joyous night in a year of such misery
Justin Turner test results timeline
More on the testing timeline that led to Justin Turner being removed from Tuesday’s Game 6, according to LA Times reporter Bill Shaikin:
Dodgers reactions after winning the World Series
On the premature removal of Blake Snell in the sixth inning
Mookie Betts, to FOX Sports 1: “At that point I was like, I got a chance. Snell was rolling out there. You’re not really seeing it that well. He was mixing it up. He was tough.
“I gotta tip my hat to him. I wasn’t asking any questions. I was like, ‘Hey, your manager said you’ve gotta go. The next guy’s coming in.’ I knew at that point I could try to put an at-bat together and go from there.”
Cody Bellinger, to FOX: “Yeah, I was shocked. We were kind of joking around, we were like, ‘way to get him out in the sixth, like we planned.’ Um, but not like that. Then we rallied from there. Snell had his stuff today. He was gross. So I would say that, yeah, it uplifted us.”
Dave Roberts, postgame news conference: “I was pretty happy because he was dominating us and we just weren’t seeing him. Once Austin got that hit and they went to the pen, Mookie looked at me with a little smile, and we were all just excited that Snell was out of the game.”
On emotions
Clayton Kershaw, to FOX Sports 1: “You work so hard for it, so when you lose, it hurts. If you didn’t win, you feel like you let down a group of guys that you work so hard with all the time. That’s really the biggest thing, that group of guys in the clubhouse and how special that is. ... I’m so happy to be on this team. It’s a special group of guys. it really is. It’s a really special group of guys.
“We won a World Series. I can’t believe it. It just feels good to say. I’m gonna keep saying it a few more times.”
Bellinger: “That feeling going home without the trophy is the worst feeling in the world. It stings, it’s there, it’s always in the back of your head, and it feels so good. Kershaw is right here, man. I’m so happy for Kershaw. It literally couldn’t happen to a better person, a better teammate, just watching him celebrate made me get a little teary eyed. This is such an unbelievable feeling.”
Betts: “I’m ready to go get some food and turn up.”
Justin Turner joins on-field celebration after positive COVID-19 test
ARLINGTON, Texas – Justin Turner did make his way back onto the field after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result, posing for photos with the trophy alongside his teammates on the field.
Turner was wearing a mask, but did share handshakes and hugs with other Dodgers players and staff members.
Scenes from the Dodgers’ World Series celebration
ARLINGTON, Texas – Here are some of the sights from field-level as the Dodgers celebrated their first World Series since 1988.
Justin Turner says he’s asymptomatic, ‘experienced every emotion’ possible after positive test result
ARLINGTON, Texas – Justin Turner says he is asymptomatic and feeling “great,” but “experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine” after being removed in the middle of Game 6 following a positive COVID-19 test result. His full tweet:
Corey Seager wins World Series MVP
A veteran of three World Series, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager is now the Fall Classic’s MVP.
Seager was hitless in the Dodgers’ 3-1 World Series victory in Game 6, which ended the team’s 31-year title drought. But he drove in a run and reached base.
After being presented the MVP trophy by Commissioner Rob Manfred, Seager said on the FOX broadcast, “This is awesome.”
He went on to praise his team’s resilience in a monthlong championship journey that lasted 18 games.
“What this team’s accomplished this year, throughout the regular season, grinding through every series,” Seager said. “We got down three-one [in the National League Championship Series], and we came all the way back. Just the resilience, the effort, the energy, the everything that this team has done this year. This has been fun to be part of.”
Seager’s role was pivotal for the Dodgers — not only in the World Series but previously. He had five home runs and 11 RBIs, both NLCS records series. He was named the MVP of that series.
Seager followed that recognition with a sterling performance at the plate against the Tampa Bay Rays. He went eight for 20 with two homers, five RBIs, six walks and four strikeouts. He also stole a base and scored seven runs.
Seager ended his postseason batting .328 with a 1.171 OPS, both team highs. He also led the Dodgers in playoff hits (22), home runs (eight), RBIs (20) and runs scored (20).
Asked in a videoconference what he thought of his success in the postseason, Seager again humbly deferred to his teammates.
“It was absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “This team was incredible all throughout the year, all throughout the postseason, all throughout quarantine we never stopped. We were ready to go as soon as the bell was called and once it did we kept rolling. We had an unbelievable postseason, both sides of the field. We ran bases, we pitched, we played defense, we hit, we scored runs when we needed to. You can’t say enough about what we did this year.”
Twitter world reacts to Dodgers’ World Series championship
The Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 on Wednesday to win the World Series.
It’s the Dodgers’ seventh World Series title and first since 1988. Twitter celebrated the end of the 31-year title drought.
Justin Turner left game in the eighth because of a positive coronavirus test
After a month in the bubble, Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner has tested positive for COVID-19, according to FOX Sports.
Turner was removed from the game before the Dodgers took the field in the eighth inning. He was replaced by Edwin Ríos at third base.
Turner, who this year played his seventh season with the Dodgers on an expiring contract, received shoutouts along with veterans Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen in postgame speeches from owner Mark Walter, general manager Andrew Friedman and manager Dave Roberts. The camera showed Kershaw and Jansen but Turner was not on the field for the trophy presentation.
Turner tweeted later that he was not experiencing any symptoms related to the virus.
After naming Corey Seager the World Series MVP, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told FOX Sports’ Tom Verducci that the league learned of Turner’s positive test during the game and had him removed immediately.
“It’s a bittersweet night for us,” Manfred said. “We’re glad to be done. I do think it’s a great accomplishment for our players to get this season completed. But obviously we’re concerned when any of our players test positive.”
According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the clinic in charge of MLB’s COVID-19 tests informed the league during the second inning of Tuesday’s game that Turner’s test results from Monday were inconclusive. Tuesday’s samples showed up positive.
Turner didn’t let the positive test stop him from eventually wandering onto the field, holding the trophy and hugging Jansen. At times, he wore a mask.
Turner also was part of the team photo. Roberts said to FOX Sports 1 he didn’t know much about Turner’s diagnosis and he stayed away from him while the team posed of pictures.
“I didn’t touch him just because I didn’t know,” he said. “But it was really crazy and it was really disappointing that he couldn’t be out there to celebrate with us.”
What did Austin Barnes think of catching the final out of the World Series?
FOX caught up with catcher Austin Barnes after the final out.
Asked what it was like to catch the final pitch, Barnes said: “It is surreal. We worked so hard. We’ve had our hearts broken so many times. This group works so hard. It’s hard to explain.”
Dodgers end 31-year World Series title drought
One second, Julio Urías unleashed a 97 mph fastball to the inner edge of Willy Adames’ strike zone.
Moments later, he was squatting over the mound, unleashing a yell as he secured the final out of the World Series.
The Dodgers are World Series champions for the first time in 32 years. They defeated the Tampa Bay Rays four-games-to-two.
Keep watching this space for more from the Times’ reporters.
Dodgers need one more out
Julio Urías got pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau on a called third strike.
The Dodgers are one out away from lifting the World Series trophy.
Manuel Margot flies out to right field for first out
Julio Urías got a soft flyball out to right field to start the ninth inning.
The Dodgers need two more outs.
Julio Urías to pitch the ninth for Dodgers
The Dodgers need three outs to win the World Series and they’re sticking with Julio Urías.
But he won’t be on the mound without a safety net. Blake Treinen, who closed out Game 5, is throwing in the bullpen.
Mookie Betts homers to pad Dodgers’ lead
The Dodgers got some insurance in the eighth. Mookie Betts, who scored the go-ahead run on a heads-up baserunning play in the sixth, roped a hanging slider from the Rays’ Pete Fairbanks 434 feet over the center field fence to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.
Julio Urías retires Rays in order in eighth
The Dodgers need three uninterrupted outs on defense to end their 31-year World Series Championship drought.
Julio Urías retired the Rays in order in the eighth and hardly broke a sweat. Randy Arozarena lined the fourth pitch of his at-bat right at a running Cody Bellinger. Hunter Renfroe grounded out on the next pitch. And Brandon Lowe whiffed on a 1-2 curveball that dived out of the zone.
Urías has gotten four outs on 14 pitches. Will he get the chance to close out another clinching game? Stay tuned.
Dodgers’ Justin Turner replaced by Edwin Ríos at third base
When the Dodgers took the field for the eighth inning, they were missing Justin Turner. No information was readily available regarding his departure.
Edwin Ríos is playing third base for the Dodgers now.
Randy Arozarena to lead off eighth for Rays
Randy Arozarena will get the chance to spark the Rays’ offense in the eighth. He has two hits, including the first-inning homer that accounts for the Rays’ only run tonight. Behind him are Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe, two of only four Rays remaining in the lineup who have reached base in the game.
Dodgers get two aboard in the seventh, but don’t add to lead
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Dodgers had a chance to score some insurance runs in the seventh after a leadoff double from Will Smith and two-out intentional walk to Joc Pederson, but couldn’t take advantage. Austin Barnes popped out to the end the inning.
Julio Urías is back on the mound to begin the eighth. The Dodgers are leading 2-1.
Rays counter lefty Julio Urías with right-handed bat; leave runner stranded
Ji-Man Choi did not remain in the game to face the Dodgers’ Julio Urías. Yandy Díaz was called on to pinch hit with two outs in the seventh. The right-handed batter struck out looking at a fastball on the outer edge of the plate.
The Dodgers head to the bottom of the seventh with a 2-1 lead.
After two quick outs and a single, Dodgers’ Brusdar Graterol departs
As current and former players continued to tweet their thoughts on Kevin Cash’s premature removal of Rays starter Blake Snell, the Rays offense stayed dormant...for a few pitches. Brusdar Graterol entered and retired two batters on four pitches.
Four pitches and a single to Mike Zunino later, Dave Roberts emerged from the dugout and gestured for Julio Urías to come out of the bullpen.
He is due to face the lefty-hitting Ji-Man Choi with a runner — the Rays’ Game 4 hero Brett Phillips — on first.
Cash catching heat for early pitching change
ARLINGTON, Texas – After a long fly ball from Justin Turner died at the track, Rays manager Kevin Cash dipped into his bullpen again by summoning left-hander Aaron Loup, who ending the inning by retiring Max Muncy.
Cash’s decision to remove Snell earlier in this inning, however, is already drawing criticism online from pundits and even other MLB players...
Dodgers take the lead against Rays bullpen
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Rays’ pitching change has not worked. Nick Anderson got behind Mookie Betts 2 and 0, then watched him line a fastball down the line for a double. In the next at-bat against Corey Seager, Anderson threw a wild pitch to allow Austin Barnes to score from third and Betts to move up to third. When Seager hit a ground ball to first on the next pitch, Betts raced home to beat a play at the plate.
It’s 2-1 Dodgers with still only one out in the sixth and Seager now standing at first.
Snell removed with one out in the sixth
ARLINGTON, Texas — The loudest Dodgers cheer of the night just came with one out in the sixth. After Austin Barnes singled, Rays manager Kevin Cash decided to turn to his bullpen, removing Blake Snell much to the delight of Dodgers fan, who hadn’t had much to celebrate during his 5 1/3-inning, two-hit, nine-strikeout start. Snell looked upset at being removed after just 73 pitches, shaking his head as he walked back to the dugout.
Nick Anderson comes into the game to face the top of the Dodgers lineup, trying to protect a 1-0 Rays lead.
González strikes out the Rays’ side
Tony Gonsolin’s struggles aside, Dodgers pitchers have done a good job holding the Rays at bay. Victor González struck out the side in the sixth. Dodgers relievers have retired 13 of 14 since taking over for Gonsolin in the second inning.
The Rays continue to lead 1-0.
Victor González replaces Pedro Báez, strands Rays runner
Pedro Báez got two quick outs to start the fifth inning but the Dodgers reliever couldn’t retire three in a row. He gave up a hard-hit groundball to Randy Arozarena.
The Dodgers replaced Báez with left-hander Victor González. He threw one pitch to the lefty-hitting Austin Meadows, who hit a ball into the shift to end the Rays’ brief threat.
Through four innings, Blake Snell has nine strikeouts
Rays starter Blake Snell doesn’t appear to be flagging. He struck out the side in the fourth inning, for the second time tonight. He is up to nine strikeouts on the game.
His fastball has drawn seven swings and misses, including one at 98 mph that fooled Mookie Betts. But his breaking pitches have been nasty, too.
Snell’s nine strikeouts through four innings match a legend:
The Dodgers aren’t ones to whiff as often as they have tonight.
One more for the road:
Alex Wood continues World Series dominance
The Rays again managed nothing against Alex Wood in the third inning. Wood has retired six in a row, three on strikeouts. He has generated five whiffs on 12 swings. Of 20 pitches thrown, only four have been called balls.
Wood’s success against the Rays began in Game 2, when he struck out two in two innings.
Snell strikes out Betts, whose World Series slump continues
ARLINGTON, Texas — Mookie Betts entered the night only hitting .227 in the World Series and one for his last 11. Those struggles have continued in his first two at-bats. After striking out in the first, he went down swinging again in the third to strand a runner at second.
Remains 1-0 Rays.
Alex Wood mows down heart of Rays order
It took Alex Wood only 10 pitches to retire the Rays’ Nos. 3-5 hitters.
He struck out Austin Meadows on four pitches, induced a soft groundball from Brandon Lowe then watched Manuel Margot line a changeup into the glove of center fielder Cody Bellinger.
Two more strikeouts from Snell; Alex Wood enters for Dodgers
ARLINGTON, Texas — Blake Snell is mixing his pitches well right now. He got Max Muncy to chase a 2 and 1 changeup, leading to a grounder in front of the plate. He battled back from a 2 and 0 count against Will Smith to strike him out with a fastball. Then he fanned Cody Bellinger on three pitches, getting a swing-and-miss on a slider to end the inning. He’s only thrown 24 pitches through two innings.
Alex Wood comes out of the bullpen and pitch for the Dodgers to begin the third inning. Still 1-0 Rays
Dylan Floro strikes out Randy Arozarena to end Rays threat
All Dylan Floro needed to retire the Rays’ Randy Arozarena was his changeup. He threw it three times — all of the inside edge of the plate — and struck out Arozarena on a foul tip.
Floro exploited one of Arozarena’s (seemingly few) weaknesses:
The strikeout left two on base.
Dylan Floro replaces Tony Gonsolin with two outs in second
While Tony Gonsolin labored in his second battle with the Rays’ Ji-Man Choi, teammate Dylan Floro warmed up in a hurry in the Dodgers’ bullpen.
He was summoned after Gonsolin walked Choi on six pitches.
It took Gonsolin 48 pitches, 30 of which were strikes, to face 10 batters in 1 ⅔ innings. He threw first-pitch strikes only five times.
The Dodgers had hoped a more normal schedule would help Gonsolin pitch deeper into his start. Now they will have to manage a bullpen game.
Gonsolin strikes out first batter in the second inning but gets in trouble again
Alex Wood has not been summoned to pitch for the Dodgers yet. He sat down in the bullpen after Tony Gonsolin got out of his first-inning jam.
Trusted with the second, Gonsolin caught Willy Adames looking at a third strike to open the inning. Then he gave up a double to Kevin Kiermaier, who slid head-first into second base to beat the throw from Mookie Betts.
Blake Snell strikes out the side in the first
ARLINGTON, Texas — Blake Snell looked mighty comfortable in the first inning, striking out all three batters he faced in just 12 pitches. Mookie Betts went down on a changeup and Corey Seager and Justin Turner both fanned at fastballs. It’s the first time the Dodgers failed to score in the first inning since Game 2.
Still 1-0 Tampa Bay.
Rays put two more on but strand them
After Randy Arozarena’s solo homer, teammates Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe followed him onto the bases. Meadows singled to right and Lowe walked.
After a mound visit, Tony Gonsolin left both stranded to get out of the jam. It took him 25 pitches to get out of the inning.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers bullpen got busy. Alex Wood is warming.
Meet Blake Snell (again), Rays’ starter in Game 6
Like Games 1 and 5 starter Tyler Glasnow, Rays left hander Blake Snell throws one of the hardest fastballs in the American League. The pitch, which he throws 50% of the time, averaged 95.1 mph. But Snell’s two breaking balls are what the Dodgers need to look out for. His slider held batters to a .033 average and generated whiffs on 49% of swings. The curveball produced a 62% whiff percentage and .132 average.
And in Game 2, those pitches were working. The Dodgers swung and missed at nine sliders. The curveball was put in play just one time — by Chris Taylor, who homered.
Snell left the game soon after, a fact which the Dodgers’ Kiké Hernández brought up when asked about Snell Tuesday.
“He had good command of his pitches,” Hernández said in Spanish. “It was the first time many of us were facing him. We were trying to see how he attacked us, what he did with his pitches. I thought we did a good job of forcing him out of the game before the end of the fifth inning. Unfortunately we fell in an early 5-0 hole, but we were able to put pressure on him and get him out the game early. We were able to work counts, drive his pitch count up and get him out.”
But the Dodgers still have a tall task ahead. Snell won the Cy Young in the AL in 2018, one year after being snubbed for the All-Star Game. He was slowed in 2019 by injuries. But he tied for the team lead in starts in 2020 and yielded three or fewer runs in 10 of 11 starts. He had a 3.24 ERA and struck out 63.
Snell carried a no-hit bid into the fifth in Game 2 before giving up the two-out, two-run shot to Taylor. After the Rays spotted him an early five-run lead, he walked four, struck out nine and gave up two hits in his 4 ⅔ innings. The Rays went on to win, avoiding a two-to-none series deficit.
Tony Gonsolin can’t stop Randy Arozarena
Rays breakout star Randy Arozarena hardly gave Tony Gonsolin time to settle in. With one out and on the fifth pitch of his start, Arozarena took him deep to put the Rays on the board.
Arozarena reached for a slider away and sent it 378 feet to right field.
Arozarena has homered in three of the last four games. He has 28 hits in the postseason, a record.
Joc Pederson making it a ‘Joctober’ to remember for Dodgers
Joc Pederson’s jaunt around the bases was straightforward and simple, a steady jog resulting from his opposite-field home run in Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night.
Pederson’s journey up to that point — a second-inning solo shot in the Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays — was anything but. Instead, the 2020 season has put the Dodgers’ outfielder through more twists and turns, more stops and starts, than any before it in his seven-year career.
“Definitely,” he said, “it’s been a little bit of a roller coaster.”
No longer an October failure, Clayton Kershaw is a win away from becoming a champion
As Clayton Kershaw walked into the World Series interview room Sunday night, he wasn’t the best pitcher of his generation, but a father reminding his children how to behave.
“So you can’t really see anybody, but they’re just going to ask questions,” Kershaw said. “I’ve got to talk, just for a little bit.”
The top of his head barely visible on the videoconference feed, 3-year-old Charley replied, “OK.”
Charley’s sister, 5-year-old Cali Ann, also was nearby.
Kershaw kept a hand on his son’s shoulder. He smiled.
Read more >>>
Vin Scully watches impatiently as Dodgers inch toward elusive World Series title
Baseball connects generations like no other sport. Consider Game 5 of the World Series, when inches separated Manuel Margot from history. The Tampa Bay Rays outfielder was that close to becoming the first player to pull off a straight steal of home in the World Series since Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson in 1955.
The video of the Robinson steal is a window into history: The pictures are in black and white, the fans are wearing ties and dress hats, the World Series game is played in daylight.
Vin Scully was there, of course. He called the game and, 65 years later, his recollection of Yankees catcher Yogi Berra’s reaction is as vivid as the images in that video.
“Berra, to his dying day, said Jackie was out,” Scully said.
Can you feel it? Dodgers one win from conquering decades of October heartbreak
Thirty-two years of Dodgers dreaming has at last awakened on the threshold of reality.
One more day. One more game. One more win.
The end of a legendary championship drought is dramatically poised on your doorstep, Los Angeles, knocking, knocking, knocking …
Can you hear it? Can you feel it?
Hours after it never seemed so far away, it suddenly has never seemed so close, the Dodgers now within a whisker of their first World Series title since 1988 after Sunday’s 4-2 Game 5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
What to know about Dodgers-Rays World Series Game 6
First pitch: 5:08 p.m. PT
TV: FOX
Lineups:
Dodgers notes: A win Tuesday would end the Dodgers’ championship drought after 31 years. Or after 384 months. Or 1671 weeks. Or 11696 days. Or... .... After spending the first weeks of the playoffs in limbo regarding his role, Tony Gonsolin will start on nearly-regular rest. He gave up one run and threw 29 pitches in 1 ⅓ innings last time out. He had little warning before that start. The Dodgers are hopeful the normal schedule will help Gonsolin settle into Tuesday’s game. ... Kiké Hernández gave reporters a glimpse into how he’s feeling about potentially clinching Tuesday: “The goal is to win the World Series, and we’re a game away. We’re not going to be satisfied with what we’ve done until we accomplish that. We got two games to win one, and hopefully it doesn’t take two games. Hopefully we can get it done tonight.”
Rays notes: Tampa Bay has faced elimination previously during these playoffs — once in their division series with the New York Yankees and again in the league championship series against the Houston Astros. ... The Rays have scored three or fewer runs in 10 of 19 postseason games. They are 3-7 when scoring three or fewer but 8-1 when scoring at least four runs. ... In Game 5, Randy Arozarena became the first rookie to drive in a run in three consecutive World Series games since the Yankees’ Gil McDougald in 1951. ... A win would give them a chance to play for the franchise’s first World Series title. The Rays first began to play in 1998. ... No team has played as many games in one postseason as the Rays’ 20, Tuesday included.
One more: This year is the sixth time in eight seasons the World Series has gone at least six games. The only ones that didn’t: 2018, when the Dodgers lost to the Boston Red Sox in five; and 2015, when the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Mets in five.
Dodgers fans thrilled at possible World Series title while lamenting 2020 oddities
ARLINGTON, Texas — Never had yard work looked so thrilling.
Less than an hour before Game 4 of the World Series, Dodgers fans Joe and Kyle Beachboard marveled at the pregame ritual unfolding before them at Globe Life Field: a real-life grounds crew hosing real-life water on a real-life infield.
After a season without real-life baseball — at least for the fans who were barred from attending regular-season and most playoff games — these were the little moments the father and son season-ticket holders once took for granted but suddenly found themselves appreciating.
Dodgers can deliver World Series win, indelible memories for new generation of fans
This is the Dodgers’ moment.
On a field deep in the heart of Texas, in a stadium that has become their home away from their real home in Chavez Ravine, with about 11,000 fans in the stands but thousands more hearts beating in rhythm with theirs in Los Angeles, the Dodgers can become World Series champions Tuesday for the first time in too long.
A victory in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Rays will bring a championship to a generation that has grown up hearing about Kirk Gibson’s incredible home run, Orel Hershiser’s pitching feats and Tom Lasorda’s influence on the improbable 1988 title team but hasn’t had its own stories to add and cherish and tell over and over. Each generation deserves to experience a wonderful and wild ride that ends in October triumph, to take a journey that makes fans fall in love with baseball for the first time or to fall in love all over again. This Dodgers team has a chance to give them that precious gift Tuesday or in Game 7 on Wednesday.
Dustin May’s mechanics improve, so do his results, and he’s ready for the ball again
Dustin May said the adjustments he made were mechanical. Dave Roberts thought they were more mental. It matters not who is correct — the Dodgers right-hander with the blazing fastball and fiery red hair or the manager trying to guide the club to its first World Series championship since 1988.
What’s important is that changes were made that enabled May to regain his dominant form, a better-late-than-never development that played a significant role in Sunday night’s 4-2 victory in Game 5 over the Tampa Bay Rays and could impact the rest of the series.
Ineffective in his previous three playoff appearances, May was almost untouchable, replacing starter Clayton Kershaw with two outs in the sixth inning and retiring five of the six batters he faced, two by strikeout, and giving up one hit, a single.
Dodgers rookie Tony Gonsolin to focus on ‘controlling the emotions’ in Game 6 start
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dodgers spent Monday, what could be their final day before becoming World Series champions, isolated from the world in a resort outside Dallas. It was their 25th day in the bubble. The hotel has become home for this strange playoff run. It wasn’t how they envisioned ending their 32-year title drought, but 2020 doesn’t care for expectations or convenience.
They would like nothing more than to end their residency after Game 6 of the World Series at Globe Life Field on Tuesday night.
The Dodgers hold a three-games-to-two series lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. A fourth win separates them from their first championship since 1988. Orel Hershiser, that year’s National League Cy Young Award winner, threw all nine innings in the title-clinching Game 5 against the Oakland Athletics. On Tuesday, the Dodgers will give the ball to Tony Gonsolin, a rookie making his 17th career start.
Dodgers vs. Rays lineups: Austin Barnes to start in Game 6 of World Series
ARLINGTON, Texas — For the first time this postseason, with a chance to win their first championship in 32 years, the Dodgers will have Austin Barnes start at catcher for a starting pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw or Walker Buehler in Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday.
Barnes will catch Tony Gonsolin over Will Smith, who will start at designated hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays. It will be Barnes’ fourth start behind the plate this series and eighth in these playoffs.
The numbers say Barnes is a better pitch framer than Smith — and one of the best in baseball. He is also considered the better game caller. Barnes hasn’t been an offensive liability, either; he’s seven for 22 with a home run and three walks in the postseason.
LAPD: ‘No tolerance’ for violence, vandalism if Dodgers win World Series
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore urged people Tuesday to celebrate a Dodgers win — if one comes — at home, given the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They are safer at home. This COVID-19 virus is real,” he said.
Moore also said that officers are being deployed to Dodger Stadium and other strategic locations throughout the city “to ensure that people are acting lawfully” in the event crowds do gather, and will respond swiftly to any violence or vandalism in the streets.