This time it was something else.
This time the ball came out of Goreksson Profar’s glove. This time the Dodgers are back.
But this time it had the same result.
Because the Padres remained the same.
“This is who we were,” Jake Cronenworth said. “I think it’s in our DNA. It’s who we are as a team now.”
The Padres beat the Dodgers 6-5 on Tuesday night and are one win away from advancing to the National League Championship Series.
“The work isn’t done yet,” Manny Machado said. “…We have to go out there and compete. It won’t be easy. It wasn’t easy. Look what we did today.”
Fans react at Petco Park as the San Diego Padres take on the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 of the NLDS at Petco Park on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (KC Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The Padres held off an early offensive explosion due to a late stand next to the bullpen that was beefed up at the trade deadline, with the workhorse closing in on the game throughout.
“People talk about our barn and how the lights go out,” said Fernando Tatis Jr.. “They definitely showed up today and showed why they’re one of the best players in baseball right now.”
It was Tatis who capped the second inning with a six-run home run to put the Padres up 6-1 before Teoscar Hernandez gave the Dodgers a 6-5 lead with a grand slam in the third inning.
Neither team scored again.
Jeremiah Estrada took a perfect sixth place, followed by Jason Adam in seventh.
Left-hander Tanner Scott started the eighth inning by striking out Shohei Ohtani for the fourth time in their five meetings over the past two weeks. Mookie Betts followed with a fly ball to center field before Freddie Freeman singled to center.
This led to Shildt and Robert Suarez facing Hernandez, who exited in front of first baseman Luis Arraez.
Suarez struck out Max Muncy, grounded out Will Smith and struck out Gavin Lux to secure the Padres’ second straight victory after losing in the best-of-five series opener.
“What a game, man,” Xander Bogaerts said. “I mean, 6-1, Teoskar threw a great swing, 6-5. And it stays that way. You know, no one probably thought he would stay like this after that whole attack. … The bullpen kept that game there. It is “An incredible mission”.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jeremiah Estrada reacts to Los Angeles Dodgers hitter Max Muncy during Game 3 of the NLDS at Petco Park on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (KC Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The first two and a half rounds were so wild, the match so full of meaning and tension that the drama of the previous three days seemed like a distant memory.
During pre-game introductions, most of the 47,774 people packed inside Petco Park booed Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as loudly as they booed anyone in the building. After Roberts accused Machado of throwing a baseball at him during the second game.
There are still memories of Sunday’s game, where some fans at Dodger Stadium threw objects onto the field near Padres players, causing a delay in the seventh inning. There was enough concern about what might happen in Game 3 that Padres CEO Eric Gruebner sent an email Monday to ticket holders imploring them to behave appropriately.
Most of the pre-game talk was about Sunday’s events and what has been said since.
The frenetic start catapulted everyone into the present.
The madness begins with a near-impossible repetition of the second game’s gameplay, but with the opposite result.
After the Padres’ Michael King started the game by striking out Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts sent a full free to left field. Profar ran back, jumped over the wall in the corner and reached out, only to catch the ball off the tip of his glove and fall for a home run.
In the first inning on Sunday, Betts got past second base and beamed on a nearly identical drive to left field in the first inning of Game 2 before learning that Profar had caught his glove practically extended in the second row.
Betts thought the same thing happened again Tuesday, and actually veered off the dirt and grass and back toward the dugout. The umpires eventually indicated it was a home run, and Betts resumed his run around the bases.
Walker Buehler retired the Padres in order in the first inning before King powered through the top of the second inning with seven runs.
Machado started the bottom half of the inning with a single, and the Dodgers melted away momentarily.
Jackson Merrill sent a ground ball to first baseman Freddie Freeman, whose throw hit Machado on the shoulder and rolled into left field. Machado ran to third base, giving the Padres runners on the corners. Machado was intentionally at the edge of the turf when the ball hit him, which is legal, as the runner is allowed to create his own running path until the throw is made, and Machado was moving backwards toward the bag when he was hit.
“This rally probably wouldn’t have started if he hadn’t made that play,” Tatis said. “That’s how important it is to us.”
Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres high-fives after scoring in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 of the NLDS at Petco Park on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (KC Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Bogaerts followed with a groundout to strike out Miguel Rojas, who hesitated to throw to second baseman Max Muncy, who clearly assumed Rojas would take two steps and touch the bag himself. By the time Rojas did, Merrill had slipped to safety and Bogaerts hit the next pitch to take first. Meanwhile Machado scored.
“Obviously playing with Freddie and the ground ball to Meggie we couldn’t get the first runner,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We couldn’t get Merrill to second base. And he continues to stress the innings. … When you give extra points to a good team, it’s hard to find zeros.”
David Peralta then grounded a double to first base and into the right corner, scoring both runners. Cronenworth hit a ball to Rojas in the pocket and reached on a throw that moved Peralta to third base. Peralta scored a goal off a pass from Kyle Higashioka to make the score 4-1 before Luis Arraez scored the second goal.
Tatis made it 6-0 by sending an 0-2 fastball 396 feet to left-center field.
The roar of perhaps the largest crowd ever assembled at Petco Park, far downtown, was heard when Tatis’ fourth home run of the postseason hit the striped scoreboard in front of the second tier of seats.
“I saw our team identity on display,” Shildt said. “A lot of what we talk about is an offensive machine. … The effort level and baserunning was fantastic. The two coats were good. … It has a lot to do with our identity and is an important part of Six Important Points.”
Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 sings “All The Small Things” to the crowd as the San Diego Padres take on the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 of the NLDS at Petco Park on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. (KC Alfred/The San Diego Union -Tribuna)
The Padres ran away with a 10-2 win in Game 2, but any notion that the Dodgers had faded under the weight of their past postseason failures was quickly quashed.
Rojas, Ohtani and Betts started the third inning with singles that loaded the bases with no outs.
A line drive to left field prevented runner Andy Buggs, who had replaced Rojas, from scoring.
But after taking an 0-2 lead on Hernandez, as he did against Betts, King sent a sweeper to a similar spot that delivered the fateful shot to Betts. Hernandez hit a grand slam just behind the wall in center field to bring the Dodgers within one.
They didn’t get any closer and now they’re one loss away from having to make the long trip back up Interstate 5 with their season ending earlier than expected.
The Padres can reach their second NLCS in three years with one more win.
“It’s nice to have two,” Shildt said. “But it doesn’t matter until we have three.”
Originally published: October 8, 2024 at 8:44 pm
