Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt hits a double against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 of the National League Wildcard Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 1.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
None Alex Call neither Ben Rortvedt participated in a playoff game before this season. And while none of the Dodger reserves have come off the bench in the first two games of the World Series, they are much closer to business than they expected before the July trade that brought them to Los Angeles.
“It's really cool. I'm just soaking it all in,” said Call, who arrived from the Washington Nationals on schedule.
“It's been a whirlwind,” added Rortvedt, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays and then spent much of the summer in Triple-A before being called up when Will Smith was injured in early September. “I'm accepting it more every day, so it hasn't hit me as hard as people think. Definitely when it's done, I'll really reflect and realize how crazy it was to be on this team and to be where we are now.”
Call, 31, who also played for the Cleveland Guardians during a five-year major league career, appeared in one game in each of the Dodgers' first three playoff series, going three for four with two walks, getting hit by a pitch and scoring a run.
“It's kind of crazy because it feels like it should have been harder,” Call said of reaching the World Series. “With the Nats, it’s like we have to fight our way to the top. And then you get past the Dodgers and you're the favorite, the World Series champion. You have probably the best roster ever assembled, with incredible stars up and down the roster, and then they were like, “Oh yeah, we want Alex Call on our team.”
“That's kind of an amazing compliment.”
The 28-year-old Rortvedt, who also played for the Yankees and Minnesota Twins over four seasons, started the first four games of the postseason and hit .429.
“If I pinch myself, it’s like I’m not sure. [I’m here,]”,” he said. “I just try to be as prepared as I can, understand the scope of what's going on, just try to be prepared, try to slow everything down and do the best I can.”
