Classic rivalry gets a fitting deciding game

A playoff series for the ages was anticipated between the century-old rival Dodgers and Giants, and now they’ve got it.

Anything less than a winner-take-all Game 5 would have been a baseball travesty, leaving the sport shortchanged on the October stage. It’s the 107-win, National League West champion Giants vs. the defending World Series champ Dodgers for a place in the NL Championship Series against the Braves starting Saturday night.

It all comes down to Game 5 on Thursday night, back at the Giants’ Oracle Park after the Dodgers staved off elimination with a 7-2 victory at home Tuesday night.

So you can see why Giants third baseman Evan Longoria would prefer a best-of-seven over this short NLDS before one of these two has to go home for the winter.

“I feel like this may also be like a series or a moment where baseball may have to think about restructuring the way that the playoffs happen — 106 and 107 wins doesn’t feel like a DS matchup,” Longoria said last week before his home run lifted the Giants 1-0 in Game 3.

Mookie Betts and the Dodgers have played their share of winner-take-all games the last two seasons.

“We’ve had a lot of success here and in the past four, five, six, whatever years, and I think one of the biggest things is there’s teams that operate out of, ‘We want to get here,’ and there’s teams that it’s disappointing if we don’t get there, and we’re one of those teams that it’s disappointing if we don’t get there,” Betts said.

It will be season meeting No. 24 between these talented, even clubs, to be played at 24 Willie Mays Plaza — an ode to the Hall of Famer’s jersey number. The Giants have won 12 and the Dodgers 11.

Phillies add Long as hitting coach

The Phillies hired Kevin Long as hitting coach, reuniting him with manager Joe Girardi and slugger Bryce Harper. Long, 54, spent the last four seasons as the hitting coach for the Nationals.

Rays farmhand Hess starts chemo

Rays minor-league pitcher David Hess, 28, said he is starting chemotherapy to treat a cancerous tumor in his chest.