Call it what you like: Dodger Stadium, Chavez Ravine, Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium if you’re a pedant or obligated by branding contracts. It’s a special place. I visited for the first time earlier this month to catch an installment of the age-old showdown between the Dodgers and their former citymates in black and orange, and soon found myself overwhelmed. The history of the place— the almost-tangible presence of the many greats who called the ballpark home, the almost-audible echoes of the crowds
roaring at yet-another championship as Vin Scully voices their joy in his immortal tones—knocked me flat, left me dizzy. There was no doubt about it: the sheer presence that fills Dodger Stadium had sent me into delirium.
Actually, I was just dehydrated. One popsicle and two rapidly-chugged bottles of water later, and I was feeling normal. Still impressed by the stadium, sure: it’s genuinely great. But perhaps not quite so magical as woozy eyes might make it look. The Phillies, unfortunately, were left as woozy as I was, not by Dodger Stadium magic or dehydration, but by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and some unforced errors.
The start of the game was an exercise in frustration for the Phillies. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both struck out looking on pitches that were initially ruled balls and became strike three upon being challenged by Dodger backstop Dalton Rushing. Sandwiched in between was a groundout from Trea Turner. It didn’t get much cheerier when Shohei Ohtani hit a single that soared just over the outstretched glove of Bryson Stott. And it didn’t get any nicer for Phillies fans when Andy Pages skied a ball to deep center. But Justin Crawford, taking the mood of the Phillie faithful into his capable hands, dashed, leapt, caught the ball, and slammed into the wall. His cap flew off, his sunglasses were knocked askew, and the ball remained securely in his glove. After that, the Phillies got to engage in the age-old game of turnabout as J.T. Realmuto turned a Freddie Freeman walk into a backwards K via a challenge. The inning wrapped up without a run.
Brandon Marsh walked to open up the second, then got tossed out at second when he jumped before Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched. The Dodgers had better results with their baserunner in the second, as Max Muncy singled and was plated by a double to center from Alex Freeland. Andrew Painter recovered nicely, with a strikeout of Ohtani to end the inning.
The Phillies continued to get some bad luck as the Dodgers got the better bounces. In the top third, Realmuto was hit by a pitch, which would later see him pulled from the game. In the bottom third, Freeman singled, advanced to second on a Mookie Betts groundout, then scored when Kyle Tucker hit a weak grounder that bounced awkwardly off of first base, over Harper’s glove, and into right. But luck, like the wheels of the Dodger Stadium Express, eventually turns(it does not, however, turn for the people who eschew said bus in the hopes that parking near the stadium will work out. They’re doomed). In the top of the fourth, Turner hit a bloop single that fell perfectly between a trio of descending Dodgers. Alec Bohm singled too, but it came to naught.
And it turned out the luck hadn’t changed so much after all: in the bottom fourth, Ryan Ward saw a slider from Painter that was about as spicy as the garlic fries they serve at Dodger Stadium— which is to say, not very. He sent it skyward, where it found the Phillies bullpen for what was his first career homer. It’s a lovely thing to see a milestone like that, unless it’s from the other team, in which case it’s just frustrating. That’s just a momentary frustration, though. The injury to Realmuto, who was pulled prior to the start of the bottom fourth, might be a longer one. Hopefully not. Rafael Marchán replaced him. Then Freeland saw a splitter that he rather liked, and sent a roundtripper to a similar spot as Ward did. The Tinseltowners took a 4-0 lead, Tanner Banks came into replace Painter, and the Phillies desperately hoped for a narrative change.
For a moment, it looked like they got one. Márchan singled in the top fifth, and Crawford doubled to center-right, with the ball landing just past the reach of a sliding Pages. But neither could be brought home, and the Phillies wrapped up their portion of the fifth with a run column as empty as my wallet after I purchased the $80 Ohtani-endorsed skincare for sale at the Dodgers team store.
Note: this is a joke. Not the part where the Dodgers sell that, which they do, or the part where they charge $80 for it, which they do. I did briefly consider actually buying it to turn into some sort of bit for this recap, but while I truly appreciate you, dear TGP reader, I still couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Just like I couldn’t buy that skincare, the Phillies couldn’t buy a break. In the bottom fifth Betts walked, Tucker doubled, and both scored when pinch-hitter Alex Call hit a fly ball that dropped perfectly between the onrushing Phillies.
Yamamoto walked Harper, struck out Marsh, and then finished his day (4 hits, 0 runs, 10 K). Will Klein was the choice from the bullpen, and, despite being more hittable than Yamamoto, soon thwarted the Phillies. They put two aboard, but neither came home, in part because a Bryson Stott bloop found a sliding Pages’ glove, with the latter turning the page from his earlier failed catch.
Pages then rubbed it in by hitting a popup that Stott couldn’t quite chase down, the ball bouncing away and becoming a triple. Pages promptly scored on a sacrifice fly.
As the Phillies entered the bottom of the seventh, they replaced Turner with Edmundo Sosa, and Harper with Garrett Stubbs. Muncy homered. That gave the Dodgers their eighth run. In the bottom eighth, Nolan Hoffman loaded the bases (walk, single, walk), with none out. The damage was limited, with the Dodgers plating only one more.
The bottom ninth saw the Phillies finally score, via Stott solo shot. There was to be no grand comeback, but the moment was appreciated.
The Phillies are 30-29. They return to action Tuesday at 6:40 for a series against the Padres.
