© Neville E. Guard | 2021 Sep 3
A season-high 39,338 fans, at least the Giants faithful among them in Oracle Park, cheered, sang, and chanted “Beat LA” all night. Then, in the bottom of the 10th inning, they exploded when Brandon Crawford tied the score 2-2 with a leadoff single.
But pinch-hitting backup catcher Curt Casali struckout to strand Crawford on third base. The epic between MLB’s two preeminent teams wasn’t ready to end.
Crawford, along with a fantastic tag from Buster Posey, cut down Justin Turner at home in the top of the 11th before Evan Phillip — the last available arm in LA’s bullpen — surrendered the walk-off. SF fans gasped, then hollered into the Bay Area night when first baseman Will Smith got pulled off the bag on Buster Posey’s groundout to end a wild game in the wildest fashion. They chanted “Safe! Safe! Safe!” while the play was under review, and erupted when they discovered they were right.
Eventually, the “Beat LA” chants sprinkled throughout the game rang true, as the Giants (86-49) retook first place in the National League West and reclaimed their “best record in baseball” status with a 3-2 extra innings victory.
The atmosphere in Oracle Park matched a playoff game. Before the extra-innings drama, Giants fans clapped after each of starter Anthony DeSclafani’s five punchouts, rose to their feet after Tony Watson struck out Cody Bellinger in the seventh, and whistled as Austin Slater tracked down a deep fly to left-center later in the game. They roared as Tyler Rogers got Max Muncy looking to end the eighth. Hummed in confusion at a strange run-down in the top of the ninth, then groaned as LA tied it up. The Dodger fans’ cheers were just as loud when Trea Turner’s sacrifice fly gave LA its first lead in the top of the 10th, but Andrew Vasquez — LA’s 10th pitcher of the night — allowed another tying run.
Crawford ➡️ Posey, cool as you like
— KNBR (@KNBR) September 4, 2021
Really, they witnessed something special. The Giants and Dodgers have been on a collision course all year, and they crash this weekend in Oracle Park for the last time. SF and LA met, both tied for the best record in MLB at 85-49, with an 8-8 head-to-head record heading into the series.
The stars aligned in a historic way, and Friday’s game matched the rivalry’s intensity.
It’s the first time San Francisco and Los Angeles have met this late in the season with winning percentages over .600 in nearly six decades. The last time came exactly 59 years ago, on Sept. 3, 1962. The Mayses, McCoveys, Perrys, Marichals, Alous and Cepedas defeated the Dodgers that day, 7-3. Forty-year-old Vin Scully, in his 12th year on the Dodgers beat, was on the call.
This iteration of the rivalry goes deeper than just the two best teams in baseball, though. The Giants’ braintrust and clubhouse shot-caller met while working in the Dodgers organization, and the relationship they developed there brought them together in the Bay. At the trade deadline, SF was in the market for a starter; Max Scherzer, the top arm available, went to LA along with All-Star shortstop Trea Turner.
Both NL West first-place clubs value depth and are among the most analytically-driven teams. They have the first and second best team ERAs in MLB (Dodgers at 3.01, Giants at 3.29) and nearly identical team OPSes (Giants .755, Dodgers .753). Peering across the diamond from dugout to dugout is like looking in the mirror.
And that symmetry was on full display in Oracle Park. Each team led off the game with singles, but went scoreless for the first two innings.
Then in the bottom of the third, a chess match broke out between the two advanced metrics-driven clubs. With the bases loaded and one out, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled righty reliever Phil Bickford to avoid matching him up with LaMonte Wade Jr., who crushes righties. In response, Kapler — who preaches a “read and react” philosophy daily — subbed out his cleanup hitter for Austin Slater for the advantageous split.
Slater, a .223 hitter, slapped a single past Corey Seager to put SF ahead 1-0. Wade Jr. celebrated from the bench.
Most exciting safe call in years pic.twitter.com/R3MosiXlCc
— KNBR (@KNBR) September 4, 2021
Kapler and the Giants won the point, but it was far from checkmate.
DeSclafani was previously 0-3 vs the Dodgers this year with a 9.43 ERA. His only start since injuring his right ankle was a three-inning, three earned run disappointment. But he rose to the moment Friday and then some against the most star-packed lineup in baseball.
In the top of the sixth, facing the heart of LA’s order for a third time, DeSclafani walked Max Muncy to leadoff. But he recovered by getting Mookie Betts to fly out to center, then rolling Justin Turner into a 6-4-3 double play. He exited at 84 pitches after six scoreless innings while striking out five — by far his best outing since suffering his right ankle injury.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, used seven relievers during the six innings DeSclafani lasted. Expected starter David Price — who’s effectively an opener at this point in his career — was scratched an hour before the game with an arm injury. But the bullpen-only approach still stifled SF, just as DeSclafani turned away LA hitters.
Then LA tied it up in the top of the ninth when Chris Taylor singled off McGee. A rundown before that could’ve ended the game had Buster Posey tagged out Justin Turner instead of Corey Seager, but it was a confusing bang-bang play. LA wasn’t going to go down easily; it went 21-6 in August, cutting into San Francisco’s division lead and even briefly overtaking it as SF skidded to a four-game losing streak.
LA took the lead in the tenth, for the first time in about three hours, when pinch-runner Walker Buehler scored on a sacrifice fly. Then the “Let’s Go Giants” chants opened the bottom half. SF responded with Crawford’s RBI single, and his throw from shortstop to Posey at home to cut down Turner in the top of the 11th may have saved the game.
On Friday, in what felt like a playoff game in front of a nearly sold-out crowd, in a historic matchup, San Francisco asserted itself in the rivalry and started the weekend series with a win. No matter how many innings it took. No matter if it came by a toe’s length.
