Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

D-backs sweep into NLCS: 'It doesn't feel real'

Written by 
Published in Baseball
Wednesday, 11 October 2023 22:40

PHOENIX -- Geraldo Perdomo got the Arizona Diamondbacks started with an unexpected homer, then Ketel Marte made most of the 48,000-plus fans at Chase Field giddy with another blast.

Christian Walker followed with a line-drive shot into the left-field seats, and Gabriel Moreno polished off the onslaught with a 420-foot moon shot into left-center.

One inning. Four hitters. Four solo homers.

"That's the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life," Walker said.

The hard-hitting Diamondbacks rode a record-setting burst of homers in the third inning to a 4-2 win in Game 3 of their National League Division Series on Wednesday night, sweeping the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers out of the playoffs.

The D-backs return to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2007. They will face the Philadelphia Phillies or the Atlanta Braves.

"This is what we worked all year for," Arizona rookie sensation Corbin Carroll said. "It's amazing to be here. It doesn't feel real."

Arizona -- the No. 6 seed after squeezing into the NL playoff bracket with an 84-78 record -- has won all five of its games during the postseason, sweeping aside the Milwaukee Brewers in a best-of-three series then the Dodgers in a best-of-five.

The wild-card Diamondbacks won with brawn in this one, slugging a postseason-record four homers in the third off veteran righty Lance Lynn. That gave Arizona a 4-0 lead it never relinquished.

"It's almost unbelievable, right? I'm a fan too, and I was looking at it thinking, what in the world is happening here?" Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.

The NL West champion Dodgers rallied for two runs in the seventh on two-out RBI singles from Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez off sidearmer Ryan Thompson, but lefty Andrew Saalfrank entered and retired Austin Barnes on a groundout.

Will Smith had a one-out single in the ninth off closer Paul Sewald, but Taylor hit a fly out to deep center in front of the 413-foot sign, and Hernandez flied out to left to end it.

Sewald, acquired from the Seattle Mariners in a trade deadline deal on July 31, earned his fourth save of the postseason.

"You look at the game, the series, they outplayed us, and there's no other spin to it," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "As far as our clubhouse, it's just a lot of disappointment."

Lynn cruised through the first two innings of a scoreless game, giving no indication about what was to come.

Perdomo started the scoring with a leadoff homer, his first long ball since Aug. 13. One out later, Marte hit a 428-foot drive to right on a 1-0 cutter. With two outs, Walker pulled a 3-1 cutter to left for a 3-0 lead.

Then came No. 4: Moreno sliced a 2-1 fastball down the line to the opposite field that right field umpire Gabe Morales called fair. But the umpires huddled, and crew chief Todd Tichenor reversed the call to foul, a decision upheld by a video review. Moreno then drove Lynn's next pitch -- a hanging slider -- over the left-field wall, flipping his bat high in the air as he started his trot.

"The one that was really impressive for me was Gabby Moreno. He hits one foul, then he hits one fair. It's a great moment for us," Lovullo said.

A few moments later, a dejected Lynn handed the ball to Roberts and trudged toward the dugout.

Lynn gave up 44 homers in the regular season, the most in the majors. The previous mark of three homers in a postseason inning had been accomplished 12 times, most recently by the Dodgers against the Atlanta Braves in 2020.

Arizona rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt threw 4 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out two.

Moreno left in the fifth inning with a bruised right hand. The catcher was struck by a foul ball when Taylor squared to bunt. Moreno said postgame that X-rays were negative.

While the D-backs thrived, the Dodgers had no answers for a third straight game. A stacked lineup with a pair of former MVPs -- Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman -- couldn't make much of an impact throughout the series.

Both All-Stars struck out in the eighth against Kevin Ginkel with a runner on first. Betts finished the series 0-for-11, while Freeman was 1-for-10.

"The bottom line is that they outplayed us in every facet of the game," Roberts said.

Read 163 times

Soccer

Southampton vs Liverpool: Slot hails resilient win

Southampton vs Liverpool: Slot hails resilient win

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLiverpool boss Arne Slot praised his team for mounting a second-hal...

Vini, Mbappé connect as Madrid ease past Leganés

Vini, Mbappé connect as Madrid ease past Leganés

Kylian Mbappé ended his goal drought with a thunderous strike and midfielder Jude Bellingham scored...

Marta, Orlando Pride win 1st NWSL Championship

Marta, Orlando Pride win 1st NWSL Championship

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsKANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Barbra Banda's goal stood up as the winner to l...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Sources: Hornets' Williams out for rest of season

Sources: Hornets' Williams out for rest of season

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCharlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams sustained season-ending te...

'Phenomenal' Pippen Jr. shines in dad's ex-arena

'Phenomenal' Pippen Jr. shines in dad's ex-arena

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsScotty Pippen Jr. already had plenty of fond memories of watching h...

Baseball

Carty, 1970 NL batting champ with Braves, dies

Carty, 1970 NL batting champ with Braves, dies

EmailPrintRico Carty, who won the 1970 National League batting title when he hit a major-league-best...

Hays, Finnegan, Rodgers among new free agents

Hays, Finnegan, Rodgers among new free agents

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Outfielder Austin Hays and right-hander Kyle Finnegan -...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated