Recap of Last Night's Memorable Game

(Photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP)

Last night’s Dodger comeback victory will rank up there as one of those games that many will talk about for years to come.   I’m sure it’ll crack the top ten list of many fans, especially when it comes to regular season games.  Right up there with the ’82 RJ Reynolds squeeze bunt victory.  The 4 consecutive homers + one in extras 2006 win against the Padres. The Dick Nen '63 pennant race homer.  The Finley pennant clincher in ’04 or the Kirk Gibson game where he scored from second on a wild pitch game in August 1988.

Those types of memorable games are quite rare and talked about for years.  Their folklore gets better and the story grows as the years go by.  Everyone will report they were there, or they’ll say that the majority of fans gave up and left early, but they had the foresight to stick around, because they knew something special was going to happen.  Yeah, we’ve heard it all before.

One thing is certain though, this win was special.  Putting things in perspective, after their recent string of wins, a loss was not going to sour anyone’s season.  What such an amazing comeback win does is it demoralizes the teams trying to catch the Dodgers in the standings.  It’s fairly safe to say that Diamondback fans went to bed last night thinking they had inched a game closer.

As Dodger fans tuned out of the game around the 6th and 7th inning in which Tampa Bay’s David Price was rolling with a 6-0 lead, I almost followed suite.  It had been a long  work week and this game was moving at a snail’s pace.  Retreating to bed at 10:45 PM, I figured I'd finish watching it in bed.  I didn’t even put up a protest as my wife was watching “America’s Next Top Model” on our bedroom television.  (Yes, I know, please hold the comments to a minimum on that. What can I say? She’s into reality television drama and she likes fashion).

(photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

So I put MLB gameday on my laptop and watched the pitch-by-pitch tracker, just to monitor the action at a distance.  After Mark Ellis tripled in the 4th run in the bottom of he ninth at 11:00 PM, Tyra Banks was soon taking a back seat to true television drama.
You all know the rest.

What a finish!  What a team!  What a choke job by Fernando Rodney!  It was a little bit of everything and the Dodgers cancelled the Friday fireworks show because the team provided their own display in the ninth.  What are the Dodgers are going to do for an encore?  There’s still 47 regular season games left. 

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A few Dodger bullets:

*With 47 games left, the Magic number to clinch the division is now “43.”  I realize that number shouldn’t be real significant at the moment, but it has been reducing at a rather astounding rate.  At the All Star Break on July 19th, it was at “70.”  So in twenty-on days, they have reduced the number by 27.  Continuing at that rate, the Dodgers would clinch the Division by September 11th or 12th.

*For a good laugh.  Steve Lyons had this to say on the post game show about Fernando Rodney’s hat, the only thing missing was him telling kids to turn down the music:

“I just like that this all happened against their closer Fernando Rodney, with the stupid hat.  His hat was facing the wrong way.  So he threw the ball the wrong way.  If his hat was on right, he might have thrown t right.  I just don’t get the whole hat thing.  I’m all for style.  I like it when guys have style, guys can wear their uniform different.  But when you show up with your hat turned sideways.  Guess what?  You’re representing the Tampa Bay Rays.  Wear your hat, wear your uniform the way you’re supposed to. You’re not hanging out at a mall somewhere being your own creative self.  I really hate that.  I’m sorry, I sound like my father, but I’m glad he got beat tonight because of that.”

*Many considered the month after the All Star break to be the most difficult part of the Dodgers schedule.  An 18-3 mark has followed against the likes of DC, Toronto, St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, the Yankees and Tampa.

*Remember when we dreaded inter-league play?  How times have changed.

*What if David Price had accepted the Dodgers offer and signed with them when the Dodgers drafted him originally in the 19th round of the 2004 draft?  How would things be different today?

*Brian Wilson pitched an inning of perfect baseball at Albuquerque last night.  He only needed 7 pitches to do it.  Hopefully he can stretch out his work and go consecutive days soon.  This addition to the staff might be a real key move.  No one has really discussed it, but I can see Wilson closing some games when Jansen's work load has escalated to the point that he needs a day's rest. 

James Loney singles off Capuano for one of his three hits on the night.  (photo by Mark J. Terrill/AP)

*When is the last time James Loney had three hits in one game as a Dodger?  He actually did it twice last season, May 25th against Houston in a 6-3 Dodger win and May 18th in a 6-5 win against St. Louis.

*Sorry to finish off on a negative, but something has to be done regarding Yasiel's continuos errant throws.  Losing fly balls in the tough sky was understandable, but the throws are really inexcusable.  Here's hoping that the early embarrassment from last night's action will cause him to change his ways.