I thought the most important moment of game one of the NLCS occured in the bottom of the fifth inning when Dave Roberts pinch hit for Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers tied the game earlier in the inning, and there were two out and a man on second. Roberts made the decision that the best way to win the game at that point did not involve Kershaw continuing to pitch. The decision worked, as the bullpen did not allow a hit the rest of the way, and the Dodgers scored three more runs.
The move struck me as important for two reasons:
- It was a move on the Dodgers part toward the Royals use of relievers, which can work well in the post-season.
- It told Kershaw that he no longer needed to take the weight of the team on his shoulders. There are plenty of other players capable of carrying the team to victory.
We will see if the second of those points makes a long-term impact in the rest of the 2017 post season.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2gkqIpl
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