World Series Game 1: Not Like Us

 

One of the things I noticed while watching the game tonight, and let me tell you that I watched every last second of it, was the spontaneity and randomness of the Dodger Stadium organist. They were playing stuff like 'Where It's At' by Beck, and 'Amber' by 311. I'm pretty sure they broke into the theme from Attack on Titan at one point. The big song in LA, or anywhere right now, is Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar. It's an easy hook. Four notes, twice. And it gets people going. 

Very, uh, funny a song about how another musician is pulling a Wander Franco is this lauded stadium song right now but this has been a strange year.

There was a lot of 'Not Like Us' cues during Game 1. And you have to think that the Dodgers were making a statement. Biggest series of the year against a team they have history with. Coming in here with Judge and Soto and Cole. And the Dodgers are saying 'they're not like us'. They wish they were as good as we were. They deliver when it's convenient, we deliver when it counts. 

Until that...fateful moment, it was a pretty tense game, with heroes on both sides. Betts and Ohtani had cute moments, but Lux and Hernandez paved the way. Stanton had his mammoth hit. Flaherty and Cole had excellent starts. Both bullpens did what was necessary. Jazz Chisholm stole his way to a lead. Alex Verdugo was stellar in the outfield after his early snafu. 

I think if Boone had let Cortes pitch to Betts, we wouldn't have had this ending. Genuinely. We have at least three more games of really defining Aaron Boone's judgement, but this comes down to that decision. Going with Cortes, and walking Betts. If he brings in Tim Hill, are we still getting walked off? If he pitches to Betts are we still getting walked off? To both, I'd honestly say 'probably not'.

But loading the bases for Freddie Freeman with Nestor Cortes, who's famously recovering from an elbow surgery, on the mound...is gonna lead to an outcome like the one we got. You have to be aware of that possibility. And you have to prevent it.

Freeman's walk-off grandy is a huge baseball moment. People will remember it for years. I also think it's the last notch in Freeman's checklist to ensure a Hall of Fame enshrinement in about a decade. For a game that went to extras and had so many back-and-forth amazing moments, it's a great ending. And it's the culmination of everything that went on in that game. The Yankees are tough, they keep fighting...but they're not like us. 

Now...if that's GAME 1...I'm thinking the rest of this series is just gonna be like that. Whoever wins this series is going to have to fight for it, and will be absolutely exhausted when it's over. 

For now, let's just see how Rodon handles things tomorrow. Then I'll really start panicking.