The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. Dave Roberts’ team remains undefeated after four games in the MLB postseason. These victories were largely due to stellar figures such as Freddie Freeman, who explained that the team’s victory was due, among other factors, to the great play devised by his teammate Mookie Betts.
The first baseman and Los Angeles humiliated their rivals in Game 1 and Game 2 of the series with scores of 5-3 and 4-3, respectively. Now, the Dodgers flew back home for Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, where they will look to complete a sweep of Philadelphia. Shohei Ohtani and company are already thinking about the Championship Series, as with a 2-0 lead, the outlook is more than complicated for the Pennsylvania team.
Mookie Betts, Freeman and Max Buncy implemented the ‘wheel play’
As the Phillies’ stadium buzz reached its peak, Betts recalled a play he had learned in an earlier game against the Angels. With the calmness of a veteran, he decided to implement the ‘wheel play’, a strategy that is rarely practiced today. The play involved the third baseman and first baseman charging toward home, intending to catch a bunt and eliminate the runner at third
With Phillies manager Rob Thomson gambling on the tie, the pressure was on the Los Angeles team. Betts, with his intuition and leadership, took control and executed the play to perfection. Max Muncy, the third baseman, fielded the bunt and threw to Betts, who was covering third base. The execution was flawless, and Phillies runner Nick Castellanos was thrown out before reaching the base.
But before that, Freeman spoke about how difficult it was to perform in Philadelphia, where the Dodgers hit just .194 in two games in the postseason. “Getting two in this environment is obviously huge… This is a really tough place to play [as a visitor],” said the former National League Most Valuable Player to reporters during the post-game press conference.
“Just flip the script” – Bryce Harper, Phillies
Ahead of Game 3 of the Division Series, which they are currently trailing 2-0, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said that the only thing his team can do on their visit to Los Angeles is to “flip the script” in Major League Baseball’s postseason. Although, more than flipping the script, Philadelphia needs to break it all and start writing from scratch.
Why? Because figures such as Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and most of the coveted Phillies have been a complete failure in the Division Series against the Dodgers. If we add J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos, those five players have barely hit 35-5 in two games of the National League Division Series, with 13 strikeouts and no home runs
The Phillies, with a payroll of $291.7 million, fell into the same pattern of previous Octobers when the cold bats of their most coveted players also ruined their last three playoff appearances. The Dodgers withstood Philadelphia’s late rally on Monday night to earn a 4-3 victory in Game 2, leaving the Phillies one loss away from elimination.
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