Heartbreaker in Game 4, again: Phillies 5, Dodgers 4

It was a game that showed off the Dodgers' resiliency, but in the end, that of the Phillies as well, all too much.

The Dodgers' rediscovered patience at the plate against Joe Blanton and tied the game, 2-2, in the fourth inning, after Ryan Howard's first-inning homer with Jimmy Rollins aboard gave Philadelphia the early lead. Matt Kemp broke through with a deep blast to center to put Los Angeles ahead, 3-2, in the fifth, and an unearned run in the sixth doubled the margin.

The Dodgers gave back a run in the bottom of the sixth, but a shoe-tops catch by Manny Ramirez – if not his best of the season, his biggest – preserved the advantage. George Sherrill and Jonathan Broxton put down a two-on, one-out threat in the eighth by striking out the threatening Howard and getting Jayson Werth to fly to right.

But after getting one out to start the bottom of the ninth, in the shadow of last year's National League Championship Series Game 4 crusher, Broxton pitched carefully around nemesis Matt Stairs, walking him on four pitches. That might have been harmless had Broxton not hit the unbelievably troublesome Carlos Ruiz with the next pitch.

Broxton disposed of Greg Dobbs with a soft looping out to third base. But Rollins blasted a 1-1 pitch to the gap in right center, and the Dodgers had no chance to stop the tying and winning runs from scoring again and turning a great night into a devastating one. The Phillies had a 5-4 victory and a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven NLCS.

The bullpen that was supposed to save the Dodgers against the Phillies hasn't done it. 

With one pitch, a nervous game with exhilarating potential dissolved into a bitter defeat full of finger-pointing. It's something that has become very familiar, even in a 99-win season. Broxton will bear the brunt, as he seems to be a favorite target during those rare occasions that he comes up short – rare in the postseason too (including his save in Game 2) – as if there were any closer in baseball spared these crushing blows. Yes, Broxton is not Mariano Rivera, but he's in the very next class.

And people will question the Dodgers' heart and soul, despite the all the evidence of it on display tonight.

People will be angry. People will react as if this loss is something the Dodgers did to them, inflicted on them, rather than something that happened despite the Dodgers' best efforts. Because the way some people see it, if you're not the best, you're the worst. There's no middle ground.

I understand it, though my reaction is different. I don't get angry. I get miserable. I'm bitterly disappointed. I'm in a fog. They've come so close. And it's just heartbreaking.

I don't see the Dodgers as the worst, but as the second-best in this series so far. But I know full well that you need to be the best. There's no alternative, no matter how you slice it.

Other people feel like they've been punched in the face or stabbed in the heart; I feel like I've been run over with a cement mixer, left to crawl home. Perhaps it doesn't make a difference. All I can say is that other people's anger makes me feel worse. I don't find it cathartic; I find it to be pain upon pain. And that's why I'm prejudiced against it.

And I know my reactions are equally unsatisfactory or even infuriating to others. Dodger fans are not of a single breed.

In the end, the only thing that matters is how the Dodgers react – how the entire Dodger organization reacts.

For the first time all year, the Dodgers need a victory to keep their season alive, and they need two in a row just to have a shot at the NL pennant. For the first time all year, the Dodgers truly face an uphill battle.

Some will say it's over, which it is not. Hard does not mean over. Not in baseball. It's not over until the final out. Tell me what you gain from thinking otherwise.

I am prepared, I will admit, for another Game 4 to haunt us for another long time.

Comments

[LO]

It's over. They've been trying to tell us all since late May...they are not the team we hoped they'd be, they are the team we thought they'd be.

[Rob McMillin]

LO -- seconded.

A great team, a very good team, but not that team.

[Justin Sarno]

Awesome post. Awesome levity. I wish I had it right now. All we can do is do our best and hope that we can move forward one step at a time.

[Alex41592]

This will be hard. Very hard.

They will have to go through Hamels, Pedro and Lee. But, it's never over until the last out. We all know this. Tonight showed us this and the Dodgers all season showed us this.

It does feel like the beginning of the end. But, that can change in an instant and change right back before you're ready.

[ginocimoli]

This one hurts.

[Bob Hendley]

LAT'd

My boys in blue are playing meaningful games in October. As a fan its a blessing. I want them to win so that they can keep playing meaningful games. I am disappointed that they lost tonight, but they brung me here, including Torre, so the last thing in the world I would do is to jump all over them because of it. They feel worse than I do, I am sure and what they need is support. This is what being a fan is all about, and not using the loss to grind axes.

[Sac Town Dodger Fan]

Great post Jon, well said.

LAT'd:
This was the only true place I could find some solace after tonight.

We can second guess all we want, and play armchair manager, but its baseball, and stuff like this happens. Ask the Red Sox in 86, the A's in 88, or the Phillies in 93 to name a few.

This team has been the cardiac kids all season long, if any team can come back, its this team. Yes we may Think Blue, but tonight we're just plain feeling blue. Yes it hurts tonight, will hurt all day tomorrow, but Wednesday is another game. Let's see what happens before blaming Brox, Torre or not hitting with runners in scoring position etc.

Good night Dodger Thoughts.

[DodgersFanInSoCal]

I truly love this blog.

I've been following Dodger Thoughts for several years now, way back during it's Toaster days. And it's such a safe haven for Dodger fans who go through painful nights like these.

I truly admire Jon's even keel demeanor. I, on the other hand, though I'd like to think even keeled myself, just have to draw the line somewhere.
Am I showing ill-will if I don't ever want to see Broxton our closer again?
I can honestly wish him luck to all future endeavors on other teams (except against the Dodgers of course), but I just don't him being OUR closer ever again.

I know it's not fair to do that after just several rare occasions. But I dunno, that's just how I feel, can't explain it. I don't want Broxton as our closer anymore, I would rather just start from scratch and search for another one...even it's another difficult road in finding another good one.

[Doug Minnick]

I'm with you, Jon. I'm not angry, I'm just down - way down.

I do hate walks, though.

By the way, good to hear from you, Brock. Stick around, we need you right about now.

[Dexter Fishmore]

MLB teams in the Dodgers' position, down three games to one in a best-of-seven series that they started with home field advantage, have gone on to win the series on five out of 33 occasions, or about 15% of the time.

Source: http://www.whowins.com/tables/up31.html

[jujibee]

Hopefully this loss tonight will get them in fighting mode as they were in April. Hopefully it will bring this club together and make the season last to see another 7 wins.

[Justin Sarno]

Anyone know where you can see the post game interviews? One would think they'd be shown in their entirety on MLB Network -- as is the case with the NBA Playoffs -- but apparently, this is not the case... TBS shows one sentence from each manager, it seems.... I wanna see what Torre had to say...

[Bleed Dodger Blue]

Don't stop.... Believing....

[Jon Weisman]

I don't really want to argue tonight, so you can just consider this an open question? I don't intend to respond.

If you never want to see Broxton close for the Dodgers again, what closers meet your standards?

[Chad Bloom]

Don't stop... believing...

[ucladodger]

15% seems like a pretty decent chance. I'm confident we can score against Hamels and Pedro. Hamels just doesnt look the same, and although Pedro dominated us, I cant help but feel that it was almost as much of our offense playing poorly as Pedro pitching well (he only struck out a couple, popping up hittable pitches, etc). Really, unless they win tomorrow, none of the other stuff matters. Everyone should be available in the bullpen and Torre has to manage this game as exactly what it is- sudden death.

[Bob Hendley]

Don't stop....believing....

[Justin Sarno]

Chad, is that you? I wonder if Robert Petersen is crying.... as am I.

[Steve McEwen]

Jon, thanks as always for putting it in perspective. To help ease the pain, my 7-year old and I watched the end of Game 4 from 1978, which I recorded over the weekend. Phillies fans in '78 likely felt the same way we do tonight, but keep in mind that the same resilient Phillies team that lost the NLCS two years in a row to the Dodgers (with some equally heartbreaking losses) eventually tasted World Series champagne. In doing so, they rode the back of the same closer that lost Game 4 in 78.

We are down but not out and, regardless of what happens, there's always next year with these guys (Broxton, Kemp, Ethier, etc). Just keep swinging.

[Kevin Lewis]

I don't know how you can completely blame Broxton without blaming Sherrill. Neither one got it done tonight with allowing runners, and it made our 8th and 9th innings into something irregular for them.

In the end the team has to own this one. We had plenty of chances to put more runs on the board, just like Broxton had the chance to finish it up. As a team, it did not happen.

I don't think any loss I have seen as a Dodger fan has hurt this much, especially with the history of last year. If it hurts this bad for me, I can't imagine how it feels for the players.

[Kevin Lewis]

I don't know how you can completely blame Broxton without blaming Sherrill. Neither one got it done tonight with allowing runners, and it made our 8th and 9th innings into something irregular for them.

In the end the team has to own this one. We had plenty of chances to put more runs on the board, just like Broxton had the chance to finish it up. As a team, it did not happen.

I don't think any loss I have seen as a Dodger fan has hurt this much, especially with the history of last year. If it hurts this bad for me, I can't imagine how it feels for the players.

[Hollywood Joe]

Jon - lovely post and my sentiments exactly

I was going to go to sleep, but kept checking back hoping to see your post as I hoped it would make me feel better...well, I am not it made me feel better, not sure anything other than a winning lottery ticket could and even that would be bittersweet. But your post did make me feel less alone and that counts for something, something that will keep me coming back

My back of the envelope math gives us about a 10% chance to run off three in a row and shock the world. Not a very good hope really, but 10% better than 26 other clubs are looking at so I will take it and be thankful for the chance.

Always be thankful for the chance and never allow yourself to expect the outcome.

[Chad Bloom]

Justin! A heartbreaker... I'm sure he is!

"They'll never beat the Dodgers again!"

[Alex41592]

I want to let go of this feeling...

[jujibee]

I'd like to see a 3 pitch arsenal, but otherwise I'm fine with Broxton. I think he'd be more Gagne like if he could develop a solid split finger. It just seems that his awsome fastball isn't as good as it should be becasue hitters wait on it and try to foul off his slider when it is used.

[Sac Town Dodger Fan]

No ill feelings towards Brox, he has some of the nastiest stuff in the game. Granted hitting Ruiz and walking Stairs didnt help, but its not like it was Pedro Feliz hitting the walkoff, it was 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins. What can you do?

Can we trade for Dave Roberts and get a miraculous steal in the 9th?

[ucladodger]

Jon, I've asked the same question, but nobody has responded. What we saw with Gagne and Saito and their amazing streaks will likely never be duplicated again. Those guys just didnt blow saves. Broxton is a top 2 or 3 reliever in the game today, a guy that you just dont replace on a whim. Its sort of like the backup QB syndrome. If the starter throws a pick or has a bad game, everybody calls for the backup. The thing is, our starting QB is pretty darn awesome, and unless his backup is Peyton Manning, there is nobody better.

[Jared]

Very well said Jon! I have to admit that I was one who tried to find the blame in this game. Like many of your commenters, stats alone don't present a winner and loser. It's why we play the games. What if brox didn't throw that fastball right down broadway to Rollins? The what if games will always surround such a devastating loss. This one definitely hurts. We are in the same position as last year, with our backs against the wall facing Cole Hamels in game 5. We have nothing to lose now. I am slowly feeling better knowing that it's win or go home and the cardiac kids can become a dangerous team looking to sweep themselves into the World Series for the first time in 20+ years. While I am not over tonight's loss being a Dodgers fans is supporting your team through the tough wins and heartbreak losses.
Thanks Jon!

[Justin Sarno]

lol... I wanna throw myself from a cliff, but truth is, we live another day. After all, Manny -- in his VIP Tickets radio commercial -- said that "we're going all the way... believe it," and since he said it so convincingly, it is therefore impossible for us to lose this series!

[Craig88USC]

LAT'd -

Game 1: SHOULD have won
Game 2: Won
Game 3: Pulverized
Game 4: SHOULD have won

If the baseball Gods were with us, we SHOULD be up 3-1 in this series. Oh well, there is still some ball to be played. I just hope this doesn't take the heart out of the team and they fight back.

Posted by: DodgersGal | October 19, 2009 at 09:31 PM

You are the best. : )

..

XJT, step back from the ledge, my friend. : )

This ain't over no matter how bad you and others like you feel.

I will NEVER give up until the LAST out of the the 4th game WON by the other team.
And neither will the 2009 Dodgers!

Have you been watching all year???????

That's how I deal with temporary setbacks ... I charge! : )

[Chuck]

I am heart broken. I can not root for them anymore this year, maybe next year after the pain subsides. I love my Dodgers but this team has lost me. There is nothing more painful than being so close and then having your goal yanked away.

Yes I have taken this personally, yes I am angry but I do not know at who. I am just deeply, deeply hurt.

[STGEric]

I can't sleep tonight. My wife and kids are gone. It's past eleven here in Utah. I've got no one to turn to. I've closed my computer five times and come back to it since the end of the game. I feel the same tonight that I did when my college girlfriend told me she just wanted to be friends. Nightmares are in store for me tonight. I hate ESPN. I hate the fact that JB is good and has made bad luck for himself. I hate that I love the Dodgers this much. Was it easier the years with russell and hoffman when they won 70 games? 21 years is too long. I wish I would have known it was this hard when they won it when I was 12.

Any sleeping tips?

[Norm]

There are 30 teams in MLB. Every year at some point between opening day and the last game of the World Series, the fans of 29 of those teams come to the realization that their team is not going to win it all. The closer you get, the greater the pain at falling short. With high expectations come deep despair except for the fans of the one team that goes all the way. As a lifelong Dodger fan, I've lived to experience the exhilaration of seeing my team win it all 6 times. I don't know if I'll live long enough to see it happen a 7th time, but I won't give up hope until we've been eliminated. That hasn't happened yet this year. If it happens Wednesday, or back here in L.A., I'll be distraught, but as of right now, I'm still only greatly disappointed

[Chad Bloom]

Well then... chins up! I'm looking forward to being one of those 15% teams.

[dsm9412]

DodgerTalk is Trollsville International right now.

[KoufaxFan]

Broxton will be the closer next year. You take the good with the bad and over a long season there is a lot more good than bad. But it seems in BIG game situations in the short playoff season he looks scared & isn't clutch. This is something we'll have to live with for awhile: Broxton schizophrenia.

[Lee Lacy]

LAT'd

Thank goodness for Dodger Thoughts. The only thing worse than dealing with a loss like tonight's would be doing so without an outlet to vent, question, console, and discuss.

Well, I'm on the east coast (where it's past 1am). So I'm signing off for the night (unless, of course, I lose a battle with insomnia, in which case I'll be back with you in a couple of hours).

Stay strong.

[JT]

"I feel like I've been run over with a cement mixer, left to crawl home."

That is called being a Dodger fan. I've rooted for the Bums since I was a kid in 1978 but for all the highs and for all the victories...the Dodgers are defined by these loses. So close yet not close enough.

[Hollywood Joe]

"Any sleeping tips?"

I read something complex, in bed, with the lights a little too dim. My eyes get tired and next thing I know it is morning

Heck - "The Book" by Tango just might get it done for me

[LB]

Well said Mr. Weisman, I always know that I can get a rational perspective on things from you on this blog and I was looking forward to what your thoughts were on this heartbreaking loss. Sometimes after games like this I wonder why I put myself through the absolute disgust I have in my stomach right now. Baseball is no doubt a tough luck sport, but those victories or even better yet the come from behind victories are what make baseball worth it.

[Blue Velvet Jones]

On the bright side, we did get to see "Chooch" hit with a Broxton fastball...

[DB]

If the Phillies & Dodgers are equal match-ups like they've been callin' this, look for both home teams to win two at home and one on the road... and let the 7th game be an all out war at Dodger Stadium!!!!!!! Pedilla is bringing this home!

[Daniel Prouty]

I don't think it really matters who gets blame here. It's not going to make the loss go away and it certainly won't make me any less devastated, heartbroken, or just plain sick.

I've been a Broxton supporter all the way, and right now I don't want to get rid of him. However, I can't help but second guess. It simply hurts.

[artieboy]

Tis a dark night :(

[DaDoughboy]

My goal since we went to Philly was for the Dodgers to get this thing back to LA. That goal is still attainable right now. So I'll sit on Wednesday and chew whatever is remaining of my nails with the rest of you.

[Jill]

Thanks for the post Jon. I just feel nauseous. In my heart I know it's wrong, but I'd rather have a blow-out ugly mess like yesterday's than to get so close like tonight. Heartbreaking is the exact word.

Here's to tomorrow, come what may!

[Chicago Dodger]

>>Some will say it's over, which it is not. Hard does not mean over. Not in baseball. It's not over until the final out. Tell me what you gain from thinking otherwise.<<

What do you gain from "thinking" otherwise? Well, one could argue that by thinking it's over you don't have to deal with the pressure of thinking they have to win. You could simply watch the game with the idea of watching them for the last time in 2009.

Now mind you, the operative word here is "thinking". Meaning how a person approached game 5. In the end it doesn't matter what a fan thinks in terms of the actual outcome. Not that you needed to be told that.

[STGEric]

"Heck - "The Book" by Tango just might get it done for me"

Maybe I'll read the Bible . . .that should do the trick.

[artieboy]

I'm in pain...physically. I kept banging my head into the steering wheel on that final play. I was at Kaiser for most of the game. Maybe I should go back.

[Bob Hendley]

HJ - What a tough situation to experience this loss in a bar in Philly or thereabouts. I, on the other hand had my wife to console me. Actually, she said, "Is it over yet, can I change it?"

[maggie]

The Phillies have *heart* --- you can never count them out. Go Phillies! Beat LA (again)!

[Craig88USC]

Brox will be our closer (barring injuries, of course) for YEARS to come.

I apologize if my last post was a little too harsh.
But, that's how I FEEL.

There is room for my type of fan, too. Maybe to balance out the d o o m e r s and g l o o m e r s.

That's NOT me. I cannot pretend to be upset about this great '09 team. Sorry, Jon. :)

[ceyhey10]

The second worst thing of my sports fan career happened tonight.

And it happened to the Dodgers -- a team that I've had the nerve to force upon my infant daughter from her very first days (we celebrated an Ethier walkoff together on her very first night just ten weeks ago). And it happened to Jonathan Broxton, who by all accounts seems to just be the quietest nicest guy.

It's the kind of thing that makes you wonder why you invest so much, and over so many years, in a sports team, of all things. It's the kind of thing that casts a pall over an entire fan base of souls who have also wagered -- rightly or, more probably, wrongly -- so much of their emotional well-being on the outcome of a game.

But tonight, I'm okay. Okay in a way I wasn't able to access before said infant daughter came along. One of the things that my wife and I talk about a lot nowadays is the differences we notice in our lives now -- some subtle, others torrential (like the pee shower the baby decided to deliver, naked and smiling, on the both of us as we tried to change her for bed tonight).

And truth be told, I'm okay in a way I wasn't before Dodger Thoughts came along too. I figure it all out differently now. I'm really thankful for that, and Jon, like my infant, is probably not even aware he's given that to me.

Tomorrow is, as Hank Aaron was alleged to say about every at-bat, a "new day" indeed! Play on, play on.

[Frank Sabotka]

Dodgers need to really work with Broxton this spring or work on finding a new closer. He's a one trick pony, albeit his one trick is very good. They need to teach him that 101 down the middle isn't as good as 96 on the corners. Also, he really needs an offspeed pitch, like a low 80's change or curve. But I guess the most important thing he needs to work on is his control. Walking the tying run on 4 pitches, then HBPing the winning run on the very next pitch is the type of performance that gets you demoted to set up man.

[Start Juan Pierre]

I've had it guys.

No more baseball for me.

It's a waste of time.

[Linkmeister]

I've got it! Don Stanhouse has been reincarnated as Jonathan Broxton!

This explains so much.

Seriously, this was all too reminiscent of 1962 with Roebuck and Williams. A walk on four pitches. A hit batsman. Then a too-good pitch to a former MVP.

I think my neighbors are worried about me, I cussed so loudly when Rollins got that hit.

[jimishelter]

After playing mandolin for about a half an hour, I feel a bit better. I love this team, and I'm not ready to give up.

[DodgersFanInSoCal]

I dunno who I'd rather have instead of Broxton (aside from the obvious, Rivera).
But it's not really the issue of who would you rather have for me...just don't want Broxton, period.
But I can totally concede that I'm not being very rational in that thought. I KNOW Broxton is a very good reliever/closer, but I still don't want him as the team closer anymore.
I guess the best way to describe it

Here's one question I would like to just ask (and people can choose to answer or not of course).
But how many more saves would Broxton have to blow (and that's a bad choice of word to use there, but I dunno what else to use) in order for YOU (so its dependent on each person) to feel like you don't want him as our closer again.
Do you guys look at the percentage of games he blows? Or do you guys look at the magnitude of games he tends to blows?

[BlueCrewBruin]

Great post, Jon. Thanks for the perspective.

Utterly devastating defeat. If I didn't love the Dodgers and the game of baseball so much this wouldn't hurt. But I'm glad I love the game and I'm willing to suffer with the pain until the day, and it will come, when I get to experience the euphoria again. As heartbreaking as this is, it really is what makes baseball great. I really don't think any other sport, not the NFL (which I love) nor the NBA (which I also love) carries the dramatic tension or emotional investment of baseball.

I'm completely drained but I'm choosing to remain thankful that the Dodgers have made it this far and as painful as this is I'm still going to be here come Wednesday, as hopeful as ever even if a little less confident.

[Bob Hendley]

Linkmeister -

That was my first bitter taste with the Bums, in '62. But this doesn't compare because there is tomorrow, well Weds.

[DodgersGal]

True blue Dodgers fan here, through thick and thin. Yes, this hurts, but I'll take getting to the NLCS two consecutive years than say, being a Pittsburgh Pirates fan.

Cheer up buckaroos, there is still some baseball left. Enjoy it while it's there, because who knows when the opportunity may come again.

Bring it back to LA! It's improbable, but not impossible!

[artieboy]

Lets not forget that this is Broxton's first season as a closer. And if you want to mention him in the same breadth as Rivera, have we forgotten that he blew game 7 of the WS in 2001. That will always be on his resume and the Yanks didn't dump him.

[Craig88USC]

Game 5 is completely winnable like game 1 and TODAY's - 1 out away with Brox on the mound - what do you people want? It's baseball for heavens sake. Bad things happen ... and then you play ANOTHER game, until you run out.

We haven't run out. ;)

[dsm9412]

First of all, great post, Jon. Throughout the season, reading your post-game posts or comments have always been comforting and reassuring, and tonight was no different.

It's not over yet for this team, but it will take nothing short of a miracle to win this series. You couldn't have said it better: the Dodgers have been the second-best team this series and that just won't cut it. To win they'll have to turn that around.

Well, I am going to try and forget this nightmare and check out tonight.

[SFJoe]

I completely blame Broxton for this. I blame him for making me feel so horrible. But this is my team, he's my closer, this is the NLCS, and though the chances are slim, it is not over.

I could be selfish and not invest myself in Wednesday. Are you kidding me? This is the National League Championship series. This is for the pennant. This is for a chance to play in the world series for the second time in my life. Gimme some!!!

For those of you turning on Broxton, I understand the feeling. But put in perspective. Look at what Phillies fans have had to deal with all season. Lidge was so ridiculously bad. How a fan of that team could put up with that and still support the team is, for me still, incomprehensible. Broxton is good. In the next ninth, when we're up by a run and need three outs, give me Broxton!!!

[TheRealPaul]

Going back an earlier conversation, one can only hope that the game 5 starter is starting to channel his inner Danny Jackson. See:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1985_ALCS.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1985_WS.shtml

Lastly, and by the way, those two are why you want to be Danny and not Gaylord.

[Think Blue Crew]

I'm not angry. I'm sick to my stomach. I was in the lounge of my dorm with my other Dodger fan friend, and both of our jaws just dropped without saying a word. We stood there, hands cupped around our mouths, and watched the post-game interview. All 10 other baseball fans in the lounge just left the room about 45 seconds after the 1-1 pitch. They didn't say a word to us.

I live in a single room at Northwestern University, and I feel as lonely as ever right now. So I decided to come to Dodger Thoughts.

I did like it much better here when it was less of a public blog, though...

[jasonungar]

Game 1: Lost
Game 2: Won
Game 3:lost
Game 4: lost

there is no should. Seriously. 27 outs.

[ARTHUR KOOK]

Only Mariano has proven to be a closer who can consistently perform in the most demanding moments. Broxton joins a long list of talented closers who come up short in the most conspicuous of situations. His reluctance to go after Stairs, with inside heat, aiming to jam, or to use his slider was a case of nerves which got the better of him.
The Dodgers displayed heart and fight, but come up short against a better team. The Dodgers' inability to hit for power is a shortcoming that has proven to be crippling throughout the latter part of the season and most notably in this playoff.Pitching and power win in the playoffs!!

[barry blumberg]

jason, more like
game 1 lost
game 2 won (but should've lost)
game 3 lost (should've counted for two losses)
game 4 lost

[STGEric]

Where does this rank as far as saddest games in LA Dodger history. Ahead of or behind Jack Clark HR? Ozzie Smith HR? What other ones?

[louisinsf]

Jon

Great post as always and tonight I choose not to bother with ESPN.

The thing about sports and why I think people get so caught up with it and why wins and losses are so perfect is they offer a type of finality that is not found in most places in life, especially today's crazy world.

The only thing the Dodgers can do now is concentrate on 1 game-it is not even important to think about going back to LA. They must focus on Wednesday.

[LAT]

Like the old trick "Want to see a match burn twice," tonight the Dodgers and Broxton were victimized twice by the same home run. The first time was last year when Matt Stairs hit the decisive HR. The second time was tonight when Stairs and the memory of last years HR caused Brox to lose his composure.

[barry blumberg]

doesn't compare to ozzy or clark because of game 3

[artieboy]

HJ - What a tough situation to experience this loss in a bar in Philly or thereabouts. I, on the other hand had my wife to console me. Actually, she said, "Is it over yet, can I change it?"

Ha Ha Ha!!!!

Hey Bob I think your wife and my wife must be related.

I was on the train during the 9th inning of game 2 against St. Louis. I called my wife and asked her to please put the game and tell me what was happening. She said she would call me right back. She never did!

[Bob Hendley]

DodgersFanInSoCal

The way I look at it, we wouldn't be playing in October without the contribution of Brox to this team, so there wouldn't have been any "big"games to lose. There are only four teams in all of baseball still playing big games right now. DodgerFansInBrooklyn must be laughing at us right now.

[Ryan Durham]

It's been a few hours and I still feel like I've been punched in the gut right now. I wish I could be forgiving towards Broxton, but I can't. To me, he has a regular season closer mentality but he will never have an Eric Gagné or Mariano Rivera heart to close out HUGE games in the fall. It's just time for us to realize that and make the necessary changes.

[Linkmeister]

Bob H, I know, I know. But having it within your grasp and watching it get away still hurts. If Broxton had given up three straight hits it would be easier to take.

[DodgersGal]

I'll never understand the mindset of person who finds it necessary to troll and post on and opposing team's blog in order to gloat or say ridiculous things. Part of this internet thingie I guess. :-(

[underdog]

My dad, the Yankee fan, wrote this in an consoling e-mail to me tonight:

"One side note before sleep.

People sometimes forget that Mariano, Hall of Famer if there ever was one, has also blown at least two major games...one World Series Vs. I think Arizona....and another a key playoff game...

It just happens."

Dads can be good for perspective checks sometime. He watched the game too and felt terrible. Even though he hasn't watched nearly the number of Dodger games I have this year he did add, "Broxton is a terrific pitcher. Again, it happens. And it stinks."

[Craig88USC]

Barry and Jason, good ones! clever.

[Blue22]

I have never posted here and have never read any of this, but I have to tell you that I feel better knowing there or so many that are feeling the same pain as I am. I can only imagine how the team feels. I felt so great that they were probably going to tie the series up! It was so close. After the final hit, I had to quickly turn the channel on my TV. I couldn't watch them celebrate. I will never lose hope until the series is actually over. Let's go BLUE!!

[Alex41592]

Eric Gagne has exactly zero saves in the postseason. He never had a chance to close a game in the postseason for L.A.

Rivera is in a class all by himself.

[underdog]

Ryan, and company, see my post below yours for another thought/perspective.

And again, I am left wondering why some fans feel such great satisfying coming in to another team's "house" and gloating over them. It's so classless I'm almost left speechless that people could enjoy such a thing. What kind of life does one have to have to get pleasure in other people's misery? It boggles my mind. But I am glad there are too many other people here (including some other Phillies fans who are classier than that) who prove different to keep me from feeling too hateful.

I recommend pulling out your favorite comfort movie or TV show on DVD and putting this one out of your heads.

[Tyler Terry]

A dodger fan never says never, keeps high hopes, breathes baseball day in and day out, lives for that one single moment in the bottom of the ninth inning when our dodger brother, vin scully, calls that walk-off hit that we thrive off of. When i listen to Vin Scully i feel like he's taking me to the ballpark on a warm California night, i can literally taste the mustard dripping off of the dodger dog and smell that fresh cut grass. The series is NOT over, you'd be crazy to think that our boys in blue would give up so easily to a team like the Phillies. That's what makes the game so special and unique. We have every weapon to come back and upset these Phillies. We are the best team in the national league, we just need to take this series back to LA and play our hearts out. As long as we have a swing left, we have a chance and there's a way, just like in life as long as you still have a breath you can keep on going. Bleed dodger blue, Think Blue and let the dodgers spark some special playoff magic. And in the end, let Mannywood and the boys in blue meet the bronx bombers

[DodgerFanStuckInSF]

I don't think the sting from this one will go away for awhile. I know a loss is a loss, but the 11-0 loss was so much more bearable. It's these type of losses that really hurt. You smell the finish line and it gets yanked away.

Jon - Great post. I never really understood the angry fans. We're a good team, but you can tell its an uphill battle for us in every game in this series against a team that is just a tad bit better than us.

Let's see if Padilla can at least bring us back home.

[ucladodger]

Think Blue- my best friend is also at Northwestern and he had to get in his car and take an hour ride because he was so heated. Just letting you know you aren't alone, even at school.

I also love all of these pitching coaches telling Broxton what he needs to add to his arsenal. How many times do you people need to read that he struck out the most hitters per 9 innings in all of baseball? Or that he gave up the lowest batting average against in all of baseball? The guy is everything you can ask for in a closer. He messed up tonight, and he would be the first person to admit it, but he is the best any team would have to offer.

[Craig88USC]

I'll never understand the mindset of person who finds it necessary to troll and post on and opposing team's blog in order to gloat or say ridiculous things. Part of this internet thingie I guess. :-(

Posted by: DodgersGal

They do it 'cause they can. They love other's pain because they're "special" and want all to know it anonymously, of course. ; )

[Paul]

OK, I saw the Dodgers make some crucial mistakes, and I don't really want to sound like a whiner, but if PitchTrax is right, the Dodgers got hosed in several key situations tonight. Howard's AB in the 1st, Martin's AB in the 6th, and Ethier's AB in the 9th, and all 3 went against the Dodgers, and against what appeared to be the actual strike zone. That to me was a huge impact on the game, and no one is talking about it. After hearing all the love for the fillies through places like ESPN through the regular season and now through the postseason, that just doesn't sit well with me. There is nothing more subjective in all of sports than the umpire's strike zone.

[Brent (is a Dodger fan)]

The major thing I would change is Pitch Trax. How else would I come to believe, by the third inning, that the Dodgers were getting the worst of an absurd, inconsistent strike zone from the home plate umpire? I have a graphic, staring me right in the face showing that Blanton is getting the bottom of the strike zone called for strikes and Wolf is not. That Martin gets called out on strikes on a pitch off the plate that where closer pitches thrown by Wolf are getting called balls. That three pitches in a row to Feliz in some middle inning get called balls but Pitch Trax shows to be strikes.

My enjoyment of the game turned to cold bitterness -- because Pitch Trax shows something to be objective that is clearly (and yes, it is part of the game) not even close to objective. When Broxton recorded the first out, I thought I was going to see a victory, and glad I would not feel this bitterness towards the umpires, but it fell apart and now I can't help but feel this way about the officiating. The Officiating!!!

This hurts a lot.

[john]

I have no suggestions for a better closer... but I guess because I work for a living instead of play for a living, and where mistakes have real consequences, I just have this desire to see serious accountability. If I did a high-profile mess-up in my job, I'd be fired... not because the next guy would have better skills than me, but because some kind of accountability must be displayed by the employer. But I guess this approach really can't be carried over to baseball.

[Brent (is a Dodger fan)]

Paul, that's spooky.

[Joel C]

There is no shame in Jimmy Rollins getting a game winning hit. He is a clutch player. Good players tend to hit in the clutch.

The problem that Broxton pitched to Stairs and Diaz as if they were Ruth and Gehrig. Hey Broxton, you have a 100 mph fast ball, pitch to these guys.... you don't walk Stairs even if he hit a homer off you in last years playoff. He is MATT STAIRS, thtow strikes please! Carlos Diaz... you got make him hit the ball, more than likely he's gonna strike out.

Hopefully, Broxton will be aggressively go after the light hitters when he gets the chance... I hope that chance will come before the end of the series.

[Jon Weisman]

I'm finding it a bit soothing to see Sheldon wearing a Greatest American Hero shirt on Big Bang.

[Mannyman]

I'm starting to feel better. Jon, thanks for your wise words and for giving us all a forum to vent and decompress.

One more thing. It's really sad to see these trolling Philly fans coming on here to gloat. I stopped gloating at other teams fans a long time ago. It's utterly childish, and in my superstitious baseball world order, I believe those things will come back to haunt you.

Good night all...time will heal.

[jasonungar]

not really Craig... for me saying we shoulda won but didnt makes it much worse

[Paul]

Brent, I agree. Now if I can just figure out how to go to sleep since I have to get up in 5 hours...

[artieboy]

I really enjoy Jon's writing though I don't always agree.

For instance "I am prepared, I will admit, for another Game 4 to haunt us for another long time."

Though painful I don't consider it the end. Last year's game 4 loss was demoralizing: a two run homer to tie the game and a titanic two run homer to end the game and season. You could feel the entire season go down the drain.

Tonight everything happened so fast that it felt more like a mid season blown save. And because of that Wednesday will feel like trying to salvage the third game of a weekend series.

I don't care if other people disagree with me but this loss doesn't feel like last year's game four.

And with that good night. My head still hurts

[Craig88USC]

Great post and you're right, Tyler Terry :)

Vin Scully says it's NOT over ...

and he should know. FIGHT on! Win forever!

[jasonungar]

I mean to say I understand where people who say that, or blame the umps are coming from but bottom line is the bottom line and the bottom line is we have played them 4 times now and lost 3 times. that's it.