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A recurring neck injury reduced Chris Taylor’s collapse from starting to bench in September.
He showed pain in the neck to the St. Louis Cardinals late in the ninth inning.
Taylor hit a two-run homer to take the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 win on Wednesday night in a scintillating National League wild card game.
Justin Turner scored early and the 106-winning Dodgers advanced to a best-of-five series of divisions against the NL West champion Giants, who won 107 games to barely fend off their title rival Los Angeles. division. Game 1 is Friday night in San Francisco.
“It’s gonna be fun. Yes, two of the best records of all time in the regular season. We’ve been fighting all year, so I’m expecting a hotly contested streak, ”Taylor said.
The Dodgers celebrated on the field before heading to their clubhouse to continue the party. Beer and champagne were poured over the heads of players who were shirtless and wearing glasses.
The sold-out crowd of 53,193 clung to every pitch as the tension of a draw built up from the fourth inning. Fans waved blue napkins, vainly urging the few balls thrown into the outfield to see them caught in a win-win game between two of the National League’s most famous and successful franchises.
Cody Bellinger pulled a goal on two TJ McFarland strikeouts and stole second place in ninth, as nearly every fan stood, eagerly awaiting to see if the defending World Series champions could clinch a victory.
“It’s huge knowing I don’t have to overdo it,” said Taylor, batting in the No. 9 slot after coming in to play left field as part of a double change in the seventh. “It calmed me down a bit.”
Alex Reyes came to face Taylor, who sent a 2-1 ball into the left-field flag, triggering an explosion of cheers.
“Honestly, I was just trying to hit a single. Don’t try to overdo it, ”Taylor said after pitching the fourth scoreless homer in Dodgers playoff history. “He gave me a good slider to hit and I was able to get him up in the air.”
Tommy Edman dropped a one-out single against closest Kenley Jansen in the start of the ninth and stole the second. Paul Goldschmidt took a third called-up and Tyler O’Neill came down swinging to end the threat.
The Dodgers’ bullpen thwarted the St. Louis hitters, allowing just a pair of singles after the fifth inning.
“The whole bullpen has intensified. We’ve been doing it all year round, ”Jansen said. “On our way, we’re heading north now. “
Both teams had runners in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but couldn’t push a run.
St. Louis finished 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position, failing 11 overall. The Cardinals enjoyed a 17-game winning streak in September to clinch second place in the wild card, only to see their playoff dreams shattered.
“It’s a clubhouse full of guys who are in pain,” said manager Mike Shildt.
Dueling aces Adam Wainwright of St. Louis and Max Scherzer of the Dodgers struggled to control their control early in the second win-win game in playoff history with two starting pitchers aged 37 and over. Wainwright is 40 years old; Scherzer is 37 years old.
“They were relentless,” Wainwright said of the Dodgers. “We had our chances to win this game.
Wainwright and Scherzer walked two walks each in the first three innings. Scherzer’s wild pitch led to a run in the first and he pitted Harrison Bader in the fourth.
Turner tied him to one in the fourth on a solo first shot into the Dodgers’ box on the left. It was the first Wainwright homer to give up a curveball in the playoffs. Turner’s 13 playoff home runs are the biggest in franchise history.
St Louis were leading 1-0 when Edman scored on Scherzer’s wild field. Edman scored the first goal, stole the second and went to third when O’Neill fouled on the right.
Scherzer started with a fifth out after giving up a start single to Edman and a goal to Goldschmidt. He paced the canoe with his hands on his hips. Former Cardinal Joe Kelly came out of the jam after Goldschmidt reached third place on wild ground.
Scherzer allowed one run and three hits, struck out four and scored three goals against his hometown team.
“Pins and needles all night long. What an effort from our guys, ”said a shirtless Scherzer in a post-game interview with TBS on the pitch. “Now we’re celebrating. “
Wainwright allowed one run and four hits in five and one-third innings. He took out five and walked two.
The Dodgers had Wainwright on the ropes in the third, charging up the bases with one putout. He was less than a ball to walk into the tying point before Trea Turner broke his bat to the ground in a late inning double play on a 3-2 pitch.
National outfielder Juan Soto sat behind the plaque wearing a Trea Turner jersey from his time in Washington. Soto finished second behind Turner, his former Nats teammate, for the NL batting title. Turner won his first batting crown with an average of .328.
Soto said he wanted to support his teammates and “see their faces when I catch them”.
It worked. Turner didn’t know Soto was coming.
“When I saw him during the game, I was laughing for him to wear my shirt,” he said.
National batting coach Kevin Long was seated next to Soto wearing Scherzer’s jersey.
Dodgers co-owners Magic Johnson and Billie Jean King sat together nearby.
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