Dodgers, Giants take fight to Game 5
Rivals meet in deciding game for third time; Webb, Urias to start
It is only fitting that 70 years after Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ’Round the World” the Giants and Dodgers will play in another all-or-nothing game.
Los Angeles’ 7-2 win over San Francisco on Tuesday night in Game 4 of the NL Division Series evened the series and sent the first Major League Baseball playoff matchup between teams with at least 105 wins to Game 5 Thursday night at San Francisco’s Oracle Park.
“This is what baseball wants. I mean, I think, as I understand, all the series are done and so we’re going to be the only show in town. So if you have a pulse or you’re a sports fan, you better be watching Dodgers-giants,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said.
This will be the third time the two heated rivals will meet in a deciding game to see who advances. The 1951 and 1962 National League tiebreaker series both went to third games, with the Giants winning both to advance to the World Series.
This time the winner gets a date with the Atlanta Braves in the NL Championship Series.
Game 1 will be Saturday night in either Atlanta or San Francisco.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler said that Logan Webb will get the start. The 24-year-old righthander will be the youngest Giants pitcher to start a deciding game.
Webb will make his fifth start this season against the Dodgers. He threw 72⁄3 shutout innings, struck out 10 and allowed only five hits in San Francisco’s 4-0 victory last Friday in Game 1.
“I don’t think we’re going to spend a lot of time dissecting as a team this game. I think we’re going to get on the plane, have an off day, a real off day,” Kapler said. “We’ll schedule our workout for a little bit later. We’ll start getting ready for Game 5.
“I’m sure it will be a lively atmosphere. It’s going to be nice to get back to Oracle and have the support of our fans. And, yeah, we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
Roberts said before Tuesday’s game that Julio Urias will get the call in the deciding game. Urias, who led the majors in victories and was the Dodgers’ first 20-game winner since Clayton Kershaw in 2014, will be facing San Francisco for the seventh time this year. The left-hander allowed one run on three hits in five innings in the Dodgers’ 9-2 victory in Game 2 last Saturday.