How the Los Angeles Dodgers reached their third World Series in six years
USA TODAY Sports' Gabe Luck breaks down how the Dodgers dominated the Brewers en route to another World Series appearance.
Sports Pulse
TORONTO – Game 7 never gets old. And yet he always humiliates even the greatest players who take the October stage.
Max Scherzer is about to begin his 11th birthday.th winner-take-all game throughout his storied major league career and in the moments after. Toronto Blue Jays kept their season alive with a 6-2 win over Seattle Mariners in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, his mental record book was buzzing, taking him back to his playoff debut as a 26-year-old, through the two World Series championships he's scored in the last six years.
“Oh my god, another one,” Scherzer says, stomping his feet slightly and shaking his head as usual. “I’m just walking around, watching all my seventh and fifth games, the knockout games, the last day, all these moments, and you remember them all.
“To get another one? Oh my god. They're so special, so hard to get to, that getting another chance is what you live for.”
Scherzer has kept secret what he plans to tell his teammates, but it will be the experience of seven games of the fifth Division Series, one wild card game, game seven of the ALCS and, of course, game seven 2019 World Serieswhen Scherzer started the decisive moment Washington Nationals two days after being scratched from the start by a debilitating neck ailment.
And that's exactly the kind of sacrifice the Mariners and Blue Jays expect across the lineup in what should be an exciting night of baseball at Rogers Center.
Let's take a look at the latest installment of baseball's greatest win-or-go-home drama:
Who is available? All
In the hours between the Blue Jays' blowout loss to Seattle in Game 5 and their Game 6 resurgence, Jeff Hoffman chatted with his wife about what to expect from him over the next two nights.
“We've been talking about me throwing a few innings today, or maybe tomorrow, or maybe both. Who knows what it'll take?” says Hoffman, who actually threw two near-perfect innings in Game 6, striking out four of the seven batters he faced.
“She asked me, 'Are you ready to do this?' And there is no choice. Good for you for doing this. If that's what the team wants you to do, you go out and do it, and the next day you worry about tomorrow.”
Taking this into account, both clubs are in decent shape. The Blue Jays did burn Hoffman for two innings and reliever Louis Varland for four outs, but stayed away from the fireball of Ceranthony Dominguez, who should be available for an extended stay in Game 7.
The Mariners used top setup man Matt Brush for one inning and Eduard Bazardo for two. But left-hander Gabe Speier got the day off he needed, and closer Andres Munoz didn't pitch. He'll almost certainly be called on for a few innings if the Mariners hold a late lead or – oh boy! – The game is in extra innings.
In short: Reliers are already built to pitch until their arms fall off—and both units are in good shape.
All hands on deck
Nothing gets the heart pumping in an elimination game like a starting bullpen warm-up. Behind both Blue Jays ace Shane Bieber and fellow Mariners George Kirby will be a trio of veterans.
Bryce Miller, Brian Wu and Luis Castillo will line up behind Kirby, who gave up eight runs in the top of the third.
For the Blue Jays, Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt are ready to provide length if Bieber hits the wall early. Or to put out a fire as needed.
“If you like postseason baseball, that’s what it’s all about,” Gausman said. “You might see Max Scherzer in the fifth inning. You might see me later in the game. It's kind of what it is.
“As players, we want this. We've all been working since February 1st.st.even earlier, so now we'll win one game and go to the World Series.”
Managerial mindset
Game 6 was a balm for Blue Jays manager John Schneider, whose decision to use inconsistent left-hander Brandon Little in Game 5 exploded and put his club in a win-or-go-home position.
Now the mental advantage may have shifted as the Blue Jays come to grips with their mortality.
Heck, Schneider himself looks like a dude who just got a stay of execution.
“It's pretty damn good that we're where we are. I'm not going to lie,” he said after Game 6. “You have to keep your foot on the gas and prepare for tomorrow.
This is what we sign up for. You know, any time you can play Game 7 to get to the World Series, that sounds pretty cool. But that's why we sacrifice everything. This is why players sacrifice everything.
“This team, this group of people, is special. You never know where the journey will lead. It will lead to Game 7 in the ALCS, which is pretty darn cool.”
“Again, man, when spring training starts and you say, hey, you need to win one game to get to the World Series, you take it every time.”
For reference, that's two “damn” and one “cool” and “awesome” each.
How about you, Seattle manager Dan Wilson?
“So tomorrow we'll make adjustments offensively and be ready for Game 7,” he said after a night in which the club went to double plays in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
“I mean, now is the time to make those adjustments, and baseball is a game of adjustments, and they can make those tomorrow night and be ready to go.”
Viber check? Advantage, Blue Jays.
Hard story
Both clubs were created in 1977. However, the Mariners never played in Game 7.
Toronto has a more storied history, winning back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. However, it had been 40 years since they played Game 7, when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Kansas City Royals in the 1985 ALCS.
The ALCS has been a frustrating obstacle for both clubs over the past quarter century. Toronto lost in six games to Kansas City in 2015 and five games to Cleveland in 2016, and Seattle fell to the New York Yankees in 2000 and 2001.
In their history, they had never been one game away from the World Series until Eugenio Suarez's grand slam brought them Game 5. They're still waiting and must now contend with what could be an even and painful Game 7 for both teams.
Prediction: Blue Jays 6, Mariners 4.
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