The MLB World Series has concluded in dramatic fashion, with the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the Tampa Bay Rays in six games. We recently discussed what made this year’s season of baseball so different from any other, what with it being a considerably shortened season and the absence of fans due to Covid-19. But against all odds, the 2020 season has come to an end with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the number one team in the league. We’re going to break down the most critical parts of the series for both teams, their biggest successes and shortcomings, and what led to the Dodgers’ eventual win.
The series got off to a very strong start for LA, who had their ace Clayton Kershaw at the helm for pitching. Kershaw has built up a reputation of being one of the best pitchers in baseball right now, with three Cy Young awards and an MVP to his credit, but he’s also become rather infamous for failing to perform in the postseason. The ghost of Kershaw past seemed to be exorcised for game one however, as he threw six strong innings and only gave up one run. The Dodgers’ offense was also dominant against the Rays’ pitching for this game, as a consistent round of base hits combined with some long balls allowed LA to accrue eight total runs. Although the Rays were able to get some runs of their own, three in total, game one was the Dodgers’ game to win.
For game two, the Rays wanted to make sure that they avoided the mistakes that they made with game one, while also showing exactly why they made it to the World Series in the first place. With Blake Snell on the mound, the Rays weren’t about to make the same pitching mistakes that they made in game one. After a pretty strong four innings from Snell, he began to waver in the fifth after giving up a walk and then a two-run home run immediately after. Not wanting to stick with a pitcher that’s beginning to come apart, especially in the World Series, the Rays went to their young bullpen to close out the latter half of the game. On the side of offense, the Rays rode a Brandon Lowe explosion in the form of two home runs to eventually score six runs to the Dodgers’ four. With the series tied and a fifth game now guaranteed, the Rays proved that they weren’t going to make winning the World Series easy for the Dodgers.
As game three played out it became clear once again where the Dodgers stood in the hierarchy of the MLB, as they put together a game that flexed all of their strengths at once. The young Walker Buehler showed a commendable amount of poise as he pitched an absolute gem of six innings, gathering ten strikeouts, only allowing three hits, and giving up one run. This game really ended up seeming like a repeat of game one, with the Rays’ pitching coming apart due to the Dodgers’ combination of raw power and finesse at the plate. With base hit after base hit coupled with home run after home run, it’s surprising that the Dodgers only put up six runs in their win. The Dodgers proved with this game just how much of a threat their lineup is to the Rays. With a lot of teams in the MLB, you’ll begin to notice that their players that bat later in the order aren’t as impressive offensively as the first few guys in the lineup. The Dodgers proved to be the exception to this pretty much all season, and one could argue that they might have too much talent. With guys like Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger, along with guys like Justin Turner and Corey Seager, the Dodgers are so well-rounded at the plate that they can spread these guys out through the lineup to make for one dangerous batting order.
Moving on to game four, both teams had a lot at stake that they needed to fight for in order to stay ahead in this series. The Dodgers were on the cusp of taking a 3-1 lead, a lead that would put them in a very good place statistically speaking. The Rays on the other hand were faced with getting the series tied up once again so that they could even think about getting a lead at all in the series. With the stage set, both teams put together perhaps the most dramatic World Series game in the past few years. This game had both teams at their offensive best, with young postseason standouts Corey Seager and Randy Arozarena continuing their record breaking home run clinics and each team just generally putting together good at bats. The most eventful part of the game came in its final moments, with two on, two outs, Brett Phillips at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, and a one run deficit to top it all off, the Rays were at the end of their rope for this game. What happened next would be nothing short of a miracle for the Rays, and an absolute nightmare for the Dodgers. With a ball and two strikes in the count, Phillips got a pitch inside from reliever Kenley Jansen that he didn’t miss, lining it over the infield and into shallow centerfield. As Kevin Kiermaier broke for home and Arozarena followed close behind, the Dodgers center fielder committed one of the strangest fielding errors in recent memory as he practically tossed the ball away from himself, flipping it out of his glove and to his left. This cemented Kiermaier’s run subsequently tying the game, but the errors didn’t stop there for the Dodgers. In the heat of the moment, the Dodgers center fielder rocketed the ball back towards the plate as Arozarena came barreling through third. His throw was off line though, so in an effort to stop the run, first baseman Max Muncy cut off the off-target throw and relayed the ball to the catcher. At this point Arozarena was running for home so fast that he completely stumbled over himself on the third base line, and it looked as if he would be caught in an inning ending rundown with the game tied seven a piece. But luck proved to be on the side of the Rays, as Muncy’s throw came in well to the right of catcher Will Smith, missing his glove and allowing Arozarena to dive into home plate head first to win the game. The Rays obviously felt on top of the world after this incredible sequence of events, and with a guaranteed game six on the horizon, all the Rays had to do was finally take a lead in the series.
Unfortunately for the Rays, the dominance of the Dodgers would continue into game five as LA had Clayton Kershaw back on the mound with the rust of previous Octobers thoroughly shaken off after game one of the series. Kershaw continued his notable postseason performance by going five innings and holding the Rays to the only two runs they were able to score in the game, striking out six batters along the way. It was more of the same for the Dodgers at the plate as well this game, with four runs to their credit and one of them coming from a 434 foot bomb of a home run hit by Max Muncy. One of the biggest faults of the Rays this game was in starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who put up commendable numbers in the regular season but wasn’t able to succeed in the postseason up to this point. The Dodgers took the series lead back once again with this game, and with game six coming up it would be do or die for Tamba Bay.
Compared to the rest of the World Series, game six was perhaps one of the least exciting in terms of offensive performance for both teams. The Rays got off to a very strong start in the first inning of the game, as Randy Arozarena continued his postseason tear with a home run into right field on the second pitch that he saw. From that point on though, both teams seemed like ghosts of their previous selves. For Tampa Bay, their lack of production at the plate was due to the revolving door of pitchers that came out of the Dodgers bullpen, as rookie Tony Gonsolin was yanked in the first inning after proving that he just didn’t have it that night. The situation was flipped for the Dodgers however, as they had to contend with Blake Snell and some of his nastiest pitching all postseason. Snell was able to strikeout nine and only allow two hits in his time up on the mound, shutting down a Dodgers lineup that scored runs like it was nothing. For everyone watching at home, it seemed like Snell would be the man to get the job done for the Rays, but manager Kevin Cash had different ideas. Coming out to the mound in the sixth inning, Cash motioned for the bullpen in a move that stunned the entire baseball world. Snell got taken out of the game after he was absolutely dealing on the mound, and after having thrown only about seventy pitches total. The reactions around the ballpark were nothing short of priceless, as the Dodgers could not have been more pleased and Blake Snell could not have been more aggravated. The aggravation wouldn’t stop there for Tampa Bay, as this move essentially put the nail in the proverbial coffin of the Rays’ World Series chances. After pulling Snell, the Rays immediately gave up the lead when the Dodgers were able to score two quick runs, and every baseball fan in Tampa Bay collectively put their head in their hands and kept it there till the end of the game. As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Rays, Mookie Betts capped off his remarkable season with a towering solo home run in the eight inning, effectively taking all of the wind out of Tampa Bay’s sails. All the Dodgers needed to do at that point was hold the Rays scoreless for one more inning, and with Julio Urías pitching it ended up being a bit easier than some people anticipated. Urías was able to get two very quick outs in the ninth, and with Willy Adames up to bat, it seemed as if the Rays decided to concede the whole series at this point. After whiffing on the first pitch and taking the second for a strike up and in, Adames got a fastball inside and blinked, not even bothering to swing on what could have possibly been the start of something miraculous for the Rays. All they would have needed was a base hit and a bomb from the next guy up, but in this case Tampa Bay just looked like they were done. The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series on the save from Urías, putting the cherry on top of one of baseball’s weirdest seasons.
With the offseason officially underway, it’s time for the teams that weren’t able to win it all to make the adjustments they need to improve. And with free agency right around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see where each team stacks up come time for the 2021 season.
Who do you think has the best chances of winning the World Series next year? Will the Dodgers continue being the hottest team in baseball or will a new team rise to take their place? Let us know in the comments below, and for more news on pop culture and everything entertainment, check back here at its-bananas.