Dodgers Defeat Tampa In Six Games To Snap A 32 Year Long Drought
By Max Rayman
Mookie Betts powered the Dodgers over Tampa 3-1 to win the 2020 World Series.
After coming up short 31 years in a row, Dodgers Team President Andrew Friedman went all in. He traded for superstar Mookie Betts and then later signed him to a 12-year extension worth $365 million. How did Betts respond? He scored the game-winning run of game six and then later homered for good measure. Tampa’s offense was just too much for the Rays who struggled to score runs of their own.
Outside of phenom Randy Arozarena, Tampa’s offense had no answer for the Dodgers bullpen. Arozarena homered for Tampa in the first inning, scoring the teams only run. This was his tenth homer of the postseason which is an MLB record.
Tampa manager Kevin Cash helped the Dodgers win game six when he made the egregious decision to pull Blake Snell in the sixth. Entering the sixth inning, Blake Snell was absolutely dealing. He had only allowed one hit and had struck out nine. He immediately got the first guy before allowing a single to Austin Barnes. With Betts, Corey Seager, and Justin Turner due up, Kevin Cash trusted analytics over his starter and went to the bullpen. It didn’t matter that up to this point, Betts, Seager, and Turner were 0-6 with six strikeouts against Snell. Once Snell left the game, the wheels quickly fell off for Tampa and LA scored two quick runs. They never relinquished the lead.
From 2013-2019, the Dodgers had won the NL West but had continued to fall short. In that time span, they had made the NLCS four times and had won the NL pennant twice. However, they were bounced in the World Series by the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox respectively. (Both teams they lost to were involved in alleged cheating scandals).
This marked the first World Series title for future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw. Known for his rocky playoff history, Kershaw was finally able to flip the script and helped lead his team to a title. Arguably the best pitcher of his generation, Kershaw has always been knocked for failing to win a title and has finally silenced the critics. He finished the World Series 2-0, with a 2.31 ERA, and 14 strikeouts.
dark. Next. Blake Snell was dealing, then he was pulled
Shortstop Corey Seager took home World Series MVP. He finished the series hitting .400, with two homers, and five RBIs. He became the first player since Maddison Bumgarner in 2014 to win both LCS and World Series MVP in the same year.