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WORLD SERIES PREVIEW: ROSTERS
DODGERS PROJE CTED BULL PEN
DODGER S PRO JE CT ED STARTI NG PIT CHE R S
Rich Hill
Brandon Morrow
LHP No. 44 Age: 37
RHP No. 17 Age: 33
2017 STATS ERA SO 3.32 166
2017 STATS ERA SO 2.06 50
W-L 12-8
Clayton Kershaw 2017 STATS: W-L: 18-4 ERA: 2.31 SO: 202 IP: 175
IP 43.2
W-L 13-6
Age: 29
2017 STATS ERA SO 4.22 140
IP 134.1
Has appeared in five playoff games and hasn’t allowed a runner to reach base.
Yu Darvish
Tony Watson
Josh Fields
RHP No. 21 Age: 31
LHP No. 33 Age: 32
RHP No. 46 Age: 32
2017 STATS ERA SO 3.86 209
2017 STATS ERA SO 3.38 53
IP 186.2
W-L 7-4
IP 66.2
W-L 5-0
2017 STATS ERA SO 2.84 60
IP 57
If he pitches in Houston, he won’t be able to replicate his crucial NLCS walk.
His ability to induce ground balls has continued during the postseason.
Appeared in three games during first two playoff rounds.
Alex Wood
Ross Stripling
Tony Cingrani
RHP No. 68 Age: 27
LHP No. 54 Age: 28
W-L 16-3
Age: 26
2017 STATS ERA SO 2.72 151
IP 152.1
Victimized by homers in Chicago, he otherwise pitched well after layoff.
His six innings of one-run baseball kept the Cubs quiet in the NLCS clincher.
W-L 6-0
RHP No. 18
His 1.08 postseason ERA won’t hurt his case in free agency this winter.
LHP No. 57 Jamie Squire Getty Images
IP 135.2
Kenta Maeda
Has given up two runs and struck out 12 in his two playoff starts this year.
W-L 10-12
LHP No. 22 Age: 29
V5
W-L 3-5
2017 STATS ERA SO 3.75 74
IP 74.1
Can be used to soak up innings, as he did during the NLCS against the Cubs.
K.C. Alfred San Diego Union-Tribune
Kenley Jansen RHP No. 74 Age: 30
2017 STATS: SV: 41 ERA: 1.32 SO: 109 IP: 68.1
Has retired 24 of the 28 batters he has faced in the playoffs.
W-L 0-0
2017 STATS ERA SO 4.22 52
IP 42.2
Unheralded when acquired in August, he faces opponents’ top left-handed hitters.
ASTROS PROJE CTED BULL PEN
ASTRO S PROJE CT ED START ING PI T CHE RS STARTING PITCHERS
Justin Verlander
Brad Peacock
Will Harris
RHP No. 35 Age: 34
RHP No. 41 Age: 29
RHP No. 36 Age: 33
W-L 15-8
2017 STATS ERA SO 3.36 219
IP 206
Aug. 31 acquisition was ALCS MVP after twice shutting down the Yankees.
W-L 13-2
2017 STATS ERA SO 3.00 161
IP 132
W-L 3-2
Rose from obscurity at 29 to shine as a starter this season.
2017 STATS ERA SO 2.98 52
IP 45.1
Warmed up often in the ALCS, but didn’t pitch much.
Doug Murray Associated Press
Ken Giles RHP No. 53 Age: 27
Charlie Morton
Francisco Liriano
RHP No. 50 Age: 33
LHP No. 46 Age: 33
W-L 14-7
Doug Murray Associated Press
Dallas Keuchel LHP No. 60 Age: 29
2017 STATS: W-L: 14-5 ERA: 2.90 SO: 125 IP: 145.2
Former Cy Young winner uses command to overcome below-average velocity.
2017 STATS ERA SO 3.62 163
IP 146.2
W-L 6-7
2017 STATS ERA SO 5.66 85
2017 STATS: SV: 34 ERA: 2.30 SO: 83 IP: 62.2
Closer throws 100 mph, spins a slider, but has had missteps in October.
Luke Gregerson RHP No. 44 Age: 33
IP 97
W-L 2-3
2017 STATS ERA SO 4.57 70
IP 61
Veteran throws as hard as ever, still using the famed Roy Halladay delivery.
Acquired at the trade deadline, ex-starter has been used sparingly.
Lance McCullers Jr.
Collin McHugh
Joe Musgrove
RHP No. 43 Age: 24
RHP No. 31 Age: 30
RHP No. 59 Age: 24
W-L 7-4
2017 STATS ERA SO 4.25 132
IP 118.2
Bullpen star in ALCS Game 7, but will use curveballs in start against Dodgers.
W-L 5-2
2017 STATS ERA SO 3.55 62
IP 63.1
Veteran is likely to pitch only in mop-up situations.
Former closer fell out of favor for much of this season.
Doug Murray Associated Press
Chris Devenski RHP No. 47 Age: 26
2017 STATS: W-L: 8-5 ERA: 2.68 SO: 100 IP: 80.2
Cerritos native has had back-to-back great seasons but struggled this month.
W-L 7-8
2017 STATS ERA SO 4.77 98
IP 109.1
Faced four batters in the ALCS and retired two of them.
ADVA NTAGE: D O DGERS
ADVANTAGE: DODGERS
Clayton Kershaw was effective in his two NLCS outings against the Cubs, with his command much sharper in the clincher. The Dodgers remain vigilant in their usage of him, aware of his vulnerability to home runs. The team has used a similar strategy in managing Rich Hill, Yu Darvish and Alex Wood, though manager Dave Roberts extended Darvish into the seventh inning against the Cubs. After spending almost his entire career in the American League, Darvish’s familiarity with the Astros can’t hurt. The August acquisition of Justin Verlander proved vital to the Astros’ reaching this stage, as his seven dominant innings in Game 6 against New York kept Houston’s season alive. He will be paired with Dallas Keuchel, the team’s resident ace. The back half of the Astros’ rotation — Charlie Morton, Lance McCullers and Brad Peacock — is less dominant, but still impressive. — Andy McCullough
The Dodgers relievers handcuffed the Cubs for the entirety of the NLCS. Chicago didn’t score against the Dodgers bullpen in 17 innings. Kenley Jansen has been nearly flawless and has not been subjected to heavy usage. Jansen has pitched in seven games, but only two involved multiple-inning outings. The combination of Brandon Morrow and Kenta Maeda can shut down right-handed hitters; Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani can handle the left-handed hitters. The Astros bullpen is less reliable. The Yankees roughed up middle relievers such as Chris Devenski, Will Harris and Joe Musgrove. Ken Giles, the heat-throwing closer, has an impressive arsenal of pitches but saw his strikeout rate dip this season. The patience of the Dodgers hitters could defuse most of the Astros relievers. Houston relies on curveballs, and the Dodgers tend to hit those well. — Andy McCullough
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TUE S DAY , OCTOBER 24, 2017
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WORLD SERIES PREVIEW: ROSTERS
WORLD SERIES PREVIEW: ROSTERS
D OD GE RS P RO JE CTE D R E S ERV E S
D OD GER PRO JEECT ED LO S SANGEL S D DODGERS ODSTARTE GER S RS
Austin Barnes C
R/R
AVG. .289
No. 15
Logan Forsythe
Age: 27
2017 STATS HR RBI 8 38
V7
2B
R 35
AVG. .224
Started four of five games in NLCS, displacing Yasmani Grandal.
R/R
No. 11 Age: 30
2017 STATS HR RBI 6 36
R 56
A vital contributor against left-handers; may also start against right-handers.
Yasmani Grandal C
S/R
No. 9
Age: 28
2017 STATS HR RBI 22 58
AVG .247
R 50
Walked three times during his lone start in the NLCS.
K.C. Alfred San Diego Union-Tribune
Cody Bellinger 1B L/L No. 35 Age: 22
Corey Seager SS L/R No. 5 AVG. .295
3B R/R
R 85
Kyle Farmer
Justin Turner
Still dangerous, even in slumps, with two playoff home runs.
Age: 23
2017 STATS HR RBI 22 77
Morry Gash Associated Press
2017 STATS: AVG: .267 HR: 39 RBI: 97 R: 87
AVG .322
No. 10 Age: 32
2017 STATS HR RBI 21 71
R 72
C
R/R
Chase Utley
No. 65 Age: 27
2017 STATS HR RBI 0 2
AVG .300
2B
R 1
L/R No. 26 Age: 38
AVG. .236
2017 STATS HR RBI 8 34
BB 43
His availability is Dodgers’ biggest concern heading into the World Series.
Co-MVP of the NLCS has a .482 career playoff on-base percentage.
Manager Dave Roberts likes him as a pinch-hitter, even against right-handers.
Looked unsteady during crucial at-bats during Game 4 in Chicago.
Andre Ethier
Yasiel Puig
Joc Pederson
Charlie Culberson
LF L/L No. 16 Age: 35 AVG. .235
2017 STATS HR RBI 2 3
R 3
Veteran has returned from injury to start against right-handers.
RF R/R Morry Gash Associated Press
Chris Taylor CF L/L No. 3 Age: 27
2017 STATS: AVG: .288 HR: 21 RBI: 72 R: 85
Shared NLCS co-MVP honors with Turner after homering twice against Cubs.
AVG. .263
No. 66 Age: 26
2017 STATS HR RBI 28 74
R 72
The breakout star of the Dodgers postseason, with 1.169 OPS in the playoffs.
OF L/L No. 31 Age: 25 2017 STATS HR RBI 11 35
AVG .212
R 44
Could be an option as the designated hitter, but more likely to come off the bench.
Brian McCann AVG. .241
OF, INF R/R No. 14 Age: 26
2017 STATS: AVG.: .215 HR: 11 RBI: 37 R: 46
It’s unlikely he’ll ever top his three-homer night in Game 5; who could?
Shined in Seager’s absence during the NLCS; hit .455 against Chicago.
Yuli Gurriel
L/R No. 16 Age: 33 2017 STATS HR RBI 18 62
K.C. Alfred San Diego Union-Tribune
Enrique Hernandez
1B
R/R
AVG. .299
R 47
Scouts say he’s one of the best pitch framers in baseball.
No. 10 Age: 33
2017 STATS HR RBI 18 75
R 69
He doesn’t walk much, but he doesn’t strike out much either.
Matthew Stockman Getty Images
C Matthew Stockman Getty Images
2B R/R No. 27 Age: 27 SS R/R AVG. .315
2017 STATS: AVG: .346 HR: 24 RBI: 81 R: 112
The 5-foot-6 AL MVP favorite can do it all; has five homers this postseason.
3B R/R
No. 1 Age: 23
2017 STATS HR RBI 24 84
Alex Bregman AVG. .284
R 82
Marwin Gonzalez AVG. .303
Utility man having a career year will also draw starts at first base.
R 41
AVG .228
No. 3 Age: 30
2017 STATS HR SB 10 33
R 63
Juan Centeno
Derek Fisher
No. 2 Age: 23
2017 STATS HR RBI 19 71
R 88
L/R
No. 30 Age: 27 2017 STATS HR RBI 2 4
R 5
Presence allows manager A.J. Hinch to use Gattis as a pinch-hitter.
Josh Reddick
Age: 28 R 67
OF R/R
No. 11 Age: 31
2017 STATS HR RBI 12 55
Ex-Angel pinch-running threat made one big mistake in the field during ALCS.
AVG .231
No. 9
R/R
Slugger hits without batting gloves — and strikes out a lot.
C
2017 STATS HR RBI 23 90
Cameron Maybin
Steady performer is better in the field than he receives credit for.
He sat out six weeks this season and still put up big numbers.
LF S/R
John Froschauer Associated Press
Evan Gattis AVG .263
Jose Altuve Carlos Correa
No. 37 Age: 28
POSTSEASON STATS AVG. HR RBI R .154 0 1 0
A STRO S P ROJE CTE D R E S ERV E S
ASTROS PRO JE CT ED STARTERS
C
SS R/R
OF L/R No. 21 Age: 24 Doug Murray Associated Press
Carlos Beltran DH No. 15 Age: 40
2017 STATS: AVG.: .231 HR: 14 RBI: 51 R: 60
Team’s clubhouse leader, 40, is typically at his best during the playoffs.
AVG .212
2017 STATS HR RBI 5 17
R 21
Rookie did not appear in the ALCS; won’t play much in World Series.
RF L/R No. 22 Age: 30 Rob Carr Getty Images
George Springer CF R/R No. 4 Age: 28
2017 STATS: AVG: .283 HR: 34 RBI: 85 R: 112
Power-hitting leadoff man is a fine defender as well.
AVG. .314
2017 STATS HR RBI 13 82
R 77
Said he wanted to play the Dodgers to stick it to fans who booed him last year.
ADVANTAGE: AST ROS The Dodgers could certainly use a healthy Corey Seager. With Seager on the shelf in the National League Championship Series, the team received a surprisingly exceptional performance from Charlie Culberson, who started against left-handed pitchers and batted .455. The top of the lineup is quite formidable, with Chris Taylor, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig tormenting pitchers. Houston led the majors in runs, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. New York kept the Astros quiet for most of the American League Championship Series, but Houston came alive in the final two games. It is difficult to find a weak spot in the lineup. Jose Altuve might be the AL most valuable player. George Springer hit 34 home runs. Carlos Correa had a .941 on-base-plusslugging percentage. Marwin Gonzalez can play almost every position on the diamond. — Andy McCullough
ADVANTAG E: D OD GE RS Enrique Hernandez stole the show in Game 5 at Wrigley Field. His three home runs powered the offense in an 11-1 rout. He may be the team’s most dangerous pinch-hitter against left-handed pitchers, while Yasmani Grandal can provide productive at-bats against right-handed pitchers. The fungibility of the Dodgers lineup gives Roberts plenty of options. Hinch uses a more static lineup, though veteran stalwart Carlos Beltran will be available in late-game situations. Beltran’s bat may have slowed, but his postseason history is undeniable. —Andy McCullough
AN DY MCCULLOUG H’S PRE DICTIO N: D O DGERS I N S E V E N After sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks and trouncing the Chicago Cubs, the Dodgers have a challenge on their hands. The Astros can bang the baseball around, and the duo of Keuchel and Verlander can shut down any lineup. The Dodgers will benefit from another lengthy layoff, which will allow the team to rest its relievers and prepare for the early games. The advantage in the bullpen could prove pivotal for the Dodgers — unless they get rolled by Keuchel and Verlander. It will be a rock fight.
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DODGERS CLOSER MADE HIS BIGGEST SAVE ON ISLAND HOME Kenley Jansen has never forgotten his Caribbean roots and gives back not only to his family but to a new generation in his baseball-mad nation
V
By Kevin Baxter reporting from willemstad, curacao
erney Jansen pauses his Ford F-250 pickup in front of a brown stucco house in a neat middle-class neighborhood of two- and three-bedroom cookie-cutter homes. But there’s a history that sets this particular residence apart. It is where Verney’s baby brother, Kenley, the Dodgers’ all-star closer, recorded the most important save of his career. The younger Jansen was a former catcher with a big arm and an uncertain future when he made his major league debut in Los Angeles in the middle of the 2010 season. The same night, nearly 3,500 miles away, his family was about to lose the house in which he grew up. This house. The brown house. The one across from the dusty dirt lot, 74 Kokolishi Street. A stroke had cost his father his construction company and defending a lawsuit related to the business had robbed the family of what little money it had left. “Some days we didn’t have food on the table,” Verney Jansen says softly. “It was tough, man.” Kenley wired home the meal money the Dodgers gave him — pocket change to most big leaguers but a lifeline to his family in Curacao. Soon, he began sending his paycheck home. By the end of the summer Jansen, wearing the No. 74 on his back, had made 25 appearances, struck out 41 batters and given up just two runs. He also recorded four saves — five including his parents’ house.
d Jansen has 237 saves since, and Thursday he recorded the final three outs of a win over the Chicago Cubs that carried the Dodgers back to the World Series for the first time since 1988. But he hasn’t stopped pitching in at home. Jansen signed a five-year, $80-million contract before this season and several youth teams in Curacao wear uniforms and caps he has provided; others swing bats he paid for, catch with gloves he shipped down, or throw Rawlings baseballs he buys and mails by the box load to his parents’ house. “Kenley’s sponsoring this island with a lot of things,” Verney says.
K.C. Alfred San Diego Union-Tribune
Two years ago, Kenley sponsored a volleyball tournament; it was the best one anyone here can remember. “Kenley is the first that gives back in a big way,” says Darren Dacosta Gomez, a youth baseball coach on this tiny island in the southern Caribbean that gained its independence from the Netherlands just seven years ago. Curacao has 160,000 residents, less than half the population of Anaheim, and covers just 171 square miles, making it smaller than San Jose. Yet it has seen 13 of its native sons play in the major leagues since 2000 — the most, per capita, of any country in the world. Another 25 players were on minor league rosters on opening day last spring. “They’re quality athletes,” says De Jon Watson, the former Dodgers executive who helped Jansen transition from prospect to all-star. “They’re maybe not as talked about as some of the other countries. But these guys are being scouted. They’re not being neglected.” Over five minor league seasons as a catcher, Jansen didn’t come close to hitting his weight. But playing for the Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic he showed he could throw, gunning down the speedy Willy Taveras trying to steal third and throwing out Ryan Braun at second from his knees. Watson told Jansen to take off the catcher’s gear and get on the mound. “He called me crying,” Verney Jansen recalls. “I said, ‘What’s your dream? You want to make the majors? Or do you want to be a catcher and come home?’ ” In his second minor league season, Jansen caught Clayton Kershaw. In his second major league appearance, he earned the save in a game Kershaw won. “It was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, here we go,’ ” Watson says. “We have something.”
d Jansen’s fastball touched 99 mph in his pitching debut, evidence of the God-given athletic abilities he inherited from his father Isidro, 65, one of Curacao’s best soccer players, and mother Bernadette, 62, a soccer and volleyball standout. “We came from a mother and father that loved sports,” Verney says, “so we didn’t have a choice. We got our talent from them too.” [See Jansen, V10]
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Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times
KENLEY JANSEN learned to play baseball on Curacao and he gives back with sponsorships and donations. “I would never forget about my people,” he says.
PROUD OF HIS ROOTS [Jansen, from V9] Kenley also got plenty of support from his brothers, whose example and encouragement helped save his career. Kenley, 30, is a bear of a man at 6 feet 5, 275 pounds, although he’s not much bigger than older brothers Verney, 38, and Ardley, 34, who also played baseball — albeit with far less focus and dedication. Verney, who has a booming voice but a disarming smile, was a power-hitting first baseman who says he drew interest from the New York Yankees. But the pipeline between Curacao and the major leaguers hadn’t opened yet and Verney, skeptical someone from the island could make it in the U.S., quit baseball and went to college. Four years later, Ardley, a swift outfielder, accepted an offer from the Atlanta Braves. But he partied his career away, playing just five games above A-ball during seven minor league seasons in which he had more strikeouts than hits. “Kenley was watching me, and he didn’t do the same,” says Ardley, who plays for one of the many amateur teams his brother either owns or supports. “He never partied. He never went out.” As a boy, Kenley would play pick-up games in the vacant lot across from his house or, when everyone else went home, strengthen his arm by bouncing tennis balls off the concrete-block wall in front of his house. By the time he got to high school, he was regularly ditching class and catching a bus to the field where Ardley was practicing. “My mom got in an argument with him,” remembers Ardley, whose shaved head, full beard and diamond-stud earrings leave him looking a bit like a bald David Ortiz. “She told him, ‘That’s what you want? That’s not an easy life.’ And Kenley said, ‘Don’t worry mom, I’ll make the major leagues.’ ” His brothers did what they could to make sure of it. “Kenley saw my brother and I and didn’t want to do that,” says Verney, who regrets not signing with the Yankees. “We made sure he was disciplined. I said, ‘Remember what happened with Ardley’ ” Where Kenley’s brothers were loud and boisterous, he was quiet and reserved, a trait he carried into the Dodgers clubhouse partly at Watson’s urging. “He’s worked his tail off to get to where he is today,” says Watson, now a special assistant to the general manager with the Washington Nationals. “When he first got there, I would tell him, ‘Shhh. Keep your mouth closed and your ears open and be humble. They’ll let you know when it’s time to speak.’ ” Last season, manager Dave Roberts told Kenley it was time to step up and become a team leader. Not only was he liked and re-
How Jansen baffles hitters Dodgers relief ace Kenley Jansen tied for the National League lead in saves and was second overall in baseball. The converted catcher overpowers most hitters, with his cut fastball being his signature pitch.
The cutter: His main weapon
Striking them out
He threw cutters 85% of the time in 2017.
This year he struck out 42% of the hitters he faced, ranking second among relievers.
100%
Cutter 85%
50
Sinker
Jansen 42.3%
Slider
He gets ahead of hitters, throwing the first pitch for a strike 72% of the time, best among relievers.
Craig Kimbrel 49.6%
Jansen 72%
0 ’09
’11
’13
’15
25
’17
The cutter moves in the opposite direction of his sinker.
50
75
100%
Batting averages against Jansen
0-2
25
50
75
100%
If he gets to two strikes, the hitter is in trouble
.083
Jansen’s sinker 95.26
Jansen’s cutter 93.65 mph
1-2
0-1
Count
.125
.385
0-0
2-2
1-1
.208
.093
.529
1-0
3-2
2-1
.429
.154
.308
His slider moves the same direction as the cutter but comes in about 10 mph slower and drops a lot more.
2-0
3-1
.000
.000
3-0
.000
Cutter
Slider 83.58 These variations allow him to throw mostly cutters while occasionally mixing in sliders and sinkers to keep hitters off balance.
Getting the job done Innings pitched
68.1
Hits
44
Walks
7
Strikeouts
109
Earned runs
10
Saves
41
Blown saves
1
Sources: Major League Baseball, Baseball-reference.com. Graphics reporting by J oe F ox
spected by his teammates, but Kenley had language skills — like most people in Curacao, he speaks four languages: Papiamentu, the local dialect, Dutch, English and Spanish — that were invaluable in a diverse clubhouse. “I’ve challenged Kenley,” Roberts says. “We’ve had a lot of spirited conversations about what it takes to be a champion. Kenley is all about the team winning a championship.
“Players know, coaches know, who’s in it for the right reasons and who’s in it for themselves.” When Kenley enters the clubhouse now, the first thing he does is turn the chair in front of locker around, so he’s facing his teammates and the media, a universal sign that his office is open to whomever wants to come over and talk. “I’ve got to give it to Dave,” he says. “He pushed me and made me
Jansen kept runners from scoring. He stranded 91% of runners, good for fourth place among relievers.
Jansen 91.3% Kimbrel 93.9% 25
50
75
100%
Lore n a Iñ igu e z E l e b e e Los Angeles Times
mature and become the guy I am today. You’ve got to know when to push people. “They’re going to push me, motivate me. And I’m going to do the same thing.”
d There isn’t a blade of grass on the field where Kenley Jansen learned to play baseball. The
mound is a bump, the bases untethered slips of white plastic about the size and thickness of a newspaper page. Five rows of concrete bleachers, painted a noxious lime color, abut the green dugouts. Dirt and trash are piled up down the right-field line and a rooster crows incessantly from a house nearby. For the Jansens and others in Curacao, the dusty diamond is no less a shrine than Yankee Stadium or Wrigley Field. More than a dozen major leaguers played at Shon Ki Ballpark, named for the man who coached there for four decades. The brothers would never have played there if their grandparents hadn’t lived close by. Because both parents worked, the boys stayed with their grandparents after school. And nearly every afternoon Shon Ki Nicasia, the man who owned the hardware store, would drive into the neighborhood, honk his horn, collect whoever responded, and take them to the field to practice. Aside from the Jansens, others who answered the call included Yankee shortstop Didi Gregorius, the Angels’ Andrelton Simmons, a two-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop, and former Colorado Rockies pitcher Jair Jurrjens. Kenley Jansen calls Nicasia “the one that really helped me,” but the coach died the year his star pupil made his big-league debut. So Jansen honors his memory by coaxing along another generation of baseball players, donating equipment, time and his example. On a recent Friday afternoon, Verney wheels his pickup into the parking lot of another grassless field where 51boys — and one girl — between 8 and 14 are finishing a week-long baseball camp. Fermin Coronel, a former officer in the Dutch navy and a scout for the Cincinnati Reds, estimates more than 1,000 children are playing organized baseball in Curacao, nearly double the number from Kenley’s childhood. The rough fields have helped honed their footwork and handeye coordination, one reason why more than half the major leaguers from Curacao have been infielders. A couple of nights earlier the kids watched both the American and National league playoffs on TV, the infielders cheering for the Yankees and Gregorius while the pitchers rooted for the Dodgers and Jansen. Both players, aware of their ability to influence and inspire the next generation of players from Curacao, are doing what they can to give back. “I love my island. I would never forget about my people,” Jansen says. Rack up another save for the closer. kevin.baxter@latimes.com
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David J. Phillip Associated Press
JOSE ALTUVE is hoisted by his teammates after Houston’s 4-0 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS. He is hitting .400 in the postseason.
MIGHTY MITE
MVP favorite Jose Altuve, all 5 feet 6 inches of him, stands tall for the Astros By Pedro Moura As long and pronounced as the path has been, the Houston Astros’ ascent to the World Series has been expected. Three years ago, Sports Illustrated proclaimed them the 2017 World Series champions. Before the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers co-opted it, the organization popularized the phrase “trust the process” — after their attendance halved, players griped and embarrassments abounded. Still, their strategy was clear: They’d collect first-round talents, play them together, and win with a payroll less than that of their bigmarket competition. After three pitiful years, they have been good since 2015, and now they are on the cusp of a championship. But the chief reason the Astros are where they are today is not because of a product of that rebuilding process. It is because of a slight, 5-foot-6 second baseman who signed for $15,000 four general managers ago and was a long shot to make the major leagues. Jeff Luhnow, the Astros’ current general manager, remembers the first time he saw Jose Altuve play. It was summer 2008, in the Appalachian League, when Altuve was 18 and Luhnow was the St. Louis Cardinals’ vice president of scouting and player development. Altuve was small, sure, but he also repeatedly put bat to ball, and he was a fiery competitor. Luhnow liked him. “But I had no idea he would become this,” Luhnow said Saturday night on the Minute Maid Park infield as he celebrated his club’s first American League pennant. By the time Luhnow took over the Astros in December 2011, Altuve had already made his majorleague debut. He was the travelsize flashlight shining through the dark years, and he continued to improve, developing power at 25. This season, at 27, he hit .346 with 24 home runs, for which he is likely to win the American League most valuable player award. In the postseason, Altuve is hitting .400. He has walked more than he has struck out, and he hit more homers than anyone else. When he went 0-for-10 in three Houston losses to the Yankees in New York, he still contributed three walks and a run. “His slumps aren’t even really slumps,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “They’re like bad days at work, you know? We expect so much out
Mike Stobe Getty Images
GEORGE SPRINGER greets an exultant Altuve as he scores on a three-run double by Yuli Gur-
riel in Game 4 of the ALCS. This season, at age 27, the Venezuela native hit .346 with 24 home runs.
MVP credentials After finishing third in the American League MVP race in 2016, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve may take home the hardware this year after winning his third batting title while leading the league in hits for the fourth consecutive season. A look at his career numbers: Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
AB 221 576 626 660 638 640 590
R 26 80 64 85 86 108 112
H 61 167 177 225 200 216 204
2B 10 34 31 47 40 42 39
HR 2 7 5 7 15 24 24
Shade indicates categories in which Altuve led the American League
RBI 12 37 52 59 66 96 81
SB 7 33 35 56 38 30 32
AVG. .276 .290 .283 .341 .313 .338 .346
OBP. .297 .340 .316 .377 .353 .396 .410
SLG. .357 .399 .363 .453 .459 .531 .547
OPS .654 .740 .678 .830 .812 .928 .957
of him. To get the number of hits he gets, he’s not really allowed to have a 10- or 12-at-bat stretch where he doesn’t get hits.” Altuve had only three hitless streaks that lasted more than one game this season, the longest of three games. He hit .378 in the Astros’ victories. “For those that have followed the Astros, we’ve seen this: We go as Altuve goes,” Hinch said. “We’ve been able to build a team around him that had multiple options that maybe somebody else could pick up the slack if he decides not to get a hit for some reason. “But there’s no doubt that when he has good games, it’s hard to beat the Astros.” For months, Altuve has had the fans chanting “M-V-P!” at Astros home games. “There’s a lot of expectations on him to provide that spark,” Hinch said. One hour after the team’s American League Championship Series-clinching win, as his teammates poured alcohol into each other’s mouths and onto each other’s backs, Altuve sat in an otherwise vacant room adjacent to the clubhouse, using his phone. After a while, he emerged — totally dry — and jogged back to the field, where he celebrated with his wife and young daughter. He is the team’s star, but he does not operate at its center. Carlos Correa, the 23-year-old shortstop, appears much more comfortable conducting news conferences and addressing the media. Likely honors notwithstanding, Altuve seems more comfortable standing alongside his teammates, not in front of them. Luhnow said his roster was built for a seven-game series because of its offensive variety. Ideally, Altuve does not need to carry them. Veteran catcher Brian McCann supplied the most impactful hit in the Astros’ Game 7 ALCS victory over the Yankees. “We don’t have to rely on one or two guys,” Luhnow said. Altuve said last week that he “literally” loves Justin Verlander, the Astros’ newly acquired ace. He has highly praised Carlos Beltran, the club’s 40-year-old clubhouse leader who isn’t quite the productive hitter he used to be. He seems happy that this is not all about him. “This is awesome,” Altuve said. “We’ve been putting a lot of effort into this for a long time.” pedro.moura@latimes.com Twitter: @pedromoura
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HOW THE PENNANT WAS WON Showcase performances from Puig, Bellinger, Turner, Taylor and Hernandez brought home first NL title since 1988
Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
CODY BELLINGER hits a solo home run against the
Cubs in the third inning of Game 4 of the NLCS.
Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times
YASIEL PUIG helped point the way for L.A., here
circling the bases after a Game 1 homer in the NLCS.
Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
COACH George Lombard high-fives Justin Turner
after his walk-off homer in Game 2 of the NLCS.
Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ’S grand slam in the third inning of Game 5 against the Cubs put the Dodgers up 7-0. He had a franchise postseason-record seven RBIs in the 11-1 victory. “I don't remember the last time the Dodgers got to the World Series!” he bellowed. “I wasn't even born yet!”
Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
CHRIS TAYLOR connects for a solo home run against Cubs pitcher Kyle Hen-
dricks in the third inning of Game 3 at Wrigley. He batted .316 in the NLCS.
Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
RELIEVER Kenta Maeda is ready to deliver against an Arizona batter in Game 3 of
the National League division series. The Dodgers swept the Diamondbacks.
Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times
JUSTIN TURNER has focus and follow-through as he belts a three-run homer off
Arizona’s Taijuan Walker in Game 1 of the NLDS. Turner drove in five in the game.
Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times
CLOSER Kenley Jansen pitched one inning for the win in Game 2 of the NLCS. He
led a dominating Dodgers bullpen that did not allow a run in the series.
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YASIEL PUIG, THE DODGERS’ ONE-MAN SHOW, IS READY FOR HIS CLOSE-UP The Cuban slugger, once defiant and demoted, finally has embraced his role with the team and now with the postseason spotlight on him, he’s (literally) letting it all hang out
T
By Andy McCullough
he red light of a television camera beckoned, and so Yasiel Puig obliged. He unclenched his jaws and unfurled the hardest-working muscle on the 2017 Dodgers. As the team celebrated bouncing the Chicago Cubs out of the National League Championship Series last week, Puig wagged his tongue for the viewers in Los Angeles before issuing a proclamation. “Four more,” Puig said. “Four more.” He meant victories, the number necessary to secure the Dodgers’ first World Series championship since 1988. Along the way, there assuredly will be more than four shots of Puig flashing his tongue. Conceived in a moment of exuberance after a first-round triple, it has become a signature gesture of this postseason. The television broadcasts showed Puig wagging his tongue in the dugout ad nauseam. After a triple in the NLCS, straight-laced Chris Taylor lolled his tongue. On the mound at Wrigley Field after Game 5, the Dodgers gathered for a team picture with their tongues out. Puig has starred in a one-man reality show during the playoffs. He licked his bat before walks. He flipped it after singles. He chopped his crotch after doubles. At one point during the final rout of the Cubs, the camera spent two minutes fixed on Puig attempting to smooch hitting coach Turner Ward in the dugout. The vibrancy coincides with Puig’s emergence as a vital presence in the Dodgers lineup. After batting Puig eighth for most of the season, manager Dave Roberts has promoted him to the Nos. 4 and 5 spots at times in October. Puig has responded by hitting .414 in the postseason with a 1.169 on-base-plusslugging percentage, four extra-base hits and six runs batted in. He even has walked six times, flashing patience that his approach often lacked. “His level of focus this postseason has been the best that I’ve ever seen it,” Clayton Kershaw said. “When you combine that with the talent level that he has, it’s a really special player.” The prospect of Puig playing a prominent role on a Dodgers team in the World Series sounded unlikely last summer, when the organization demoted him to the minors and made him
K.C. Alfred San Diego Union-Tribune
available in trade discussions to any club willing to make a fair offer. Even after Puig’s resurgent 2017 campaign, in which he hit 28 homers and played excellent defense in right field, he received a two-day benching in the final week of the regular season for making a foolish mistake on the bases in one game and showing up late to the ballpark a day later. The demotions, punishments and public censure appear to have chastened Puig. Roberts motivated him using playing time as an incentive. Puig, 26, learned to trust authority figures such as Roberts and Ward. His teammates have grown to accept when his exuberance borders on annoyance. And the Dodgers have benefited from sticking with him, even after dangling him on the trade market for so long. “Often times, when situations play out that way, I think a change of scenery is what’s needed for a player to take that next step,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “To his credit, and fortunately for us, we were able to avoid that situation.” As Friedman considered Puig’s improvement, he suggested much of the trouble stemmed from Puig “just not fully understanding what was expected.” Friedman referenced the challenges for a player assimilating into the culture of American baseball after growing up in Cuba. He suggested the burden should fall on the organization in addition to the player. “We think we can just say it, and if they’re not listening, then they’re being insubordinate,” Friedman said. “Whereas I don’t think he fully grasped ‘Hey, be a good teammate.’ Well, what does that mean, exactly?” The examples had to come from within the Dodgers clubhouse. One night in June, Puig hit a mammoth home run off New York Mets pitcher Tyler Pill. As the ball soared toward the left-field bleachers, Puig spent 11 seconds admiring it. Rounding first base, Mets infielder Wilmer Flores barked at him for the perceived disrespect. Puig spat an expletive in Flores’ direction. Later in the evening, fellow Cuban Yoenis Cespedes reprimanded Puig. After the game, a crowd of reporters gathered around Puig’s locker. There were two unusual spectators: Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen. They kept an eye on Puig as he discussed the incident. Both were willing to vouch for their teammate. Turner [See Puig, V22] had even cued up a reel of Cespedes’
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WORLD SERIES PREVIEW
Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
CAUGHT : Yasiel Puig is taunted by Cubs infielder Javy Baez after being tagged
out trying to stretch a single into a double in Game 1 of the NLCS.
Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
VICTORY: Puig and Justin Turner celebrate the Game 1 NLCS win over the
Cubs. Puig had several tongue-wagging moments with a home run and double.
Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times
JUBILATION: Puig celebrates his run-scoring double in the fifth inning of Game 1 of the NLCS against the Cubs. Puig also homered in the 5-2 win.
Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times
YASIEL PUIG can thank his lucky stars that the Dodgers didn’t trade him and now he’s getting a chance to shine at the World Series, baseball’s biggest stage.
FINALLY FITTING IN [Puig, from V21] languidly-paced home run trots to show the hypocrisy of the criticism. Turner could understand antipathy toward Puig. The two had nearly engaged in a fight a few years earlier over a trivial matter involving the team’s traveling party. Now in his fourth season sharing a clubhouse with Puig, Turner had softened his stance. “With Puig, it’s more about understanding him and who he is, where he comes from, the type of guy he is,” Turner said. “I know that he has huge heart, a huge soft spot. I see everything he does in the community. I know that deep down he cares. It’s just a lot of times, it doesn’t come off that way to his teammates. That’s the hard part. But once you can get over that, and understand who he really is, he’s a pretty good kid.”
When he’s hot, they’re hot Yasiel Puig’s offensive numbers this season are much better when the Dodgers win than when they lose. How it breaks down: Outcome Wins Losses
G 98 54
AB 320 179
R 59 13
H 93 38
2B 15 9
In May, Puig hosted a poker tournament at Dodger Stadium for his charity, the Wild Horse Foundation. His teammates joined the action, with appearances by Kershaw, Turner, Jansen, Adrian Gonzalez, Brandon McCarthy and Chase Utley. “I think that was a milestone for him, that he was able to have a successful tournament, and that his teammates supported him,” said Andy Mota, one of Puig’s agents. There were more concrete mile-
HR 25 3
RBI 63 11
SB AVG. OBP. SLG. 14 .291 .373 .578 1 .212 .295 .324
stones to follow. Puig set a career high for homers. His .833 OPS was his best since 2014. He appeared in a career-best152 games and did not spend time on the disabled list. Despite the production, in September Roberts noticed “things were going in the wrong direction” with Puig’s behavior. On Sept. 23, Puig got thrown out at second base to end a game against the San Francisco Giants; he was running on his own and did not slide. Roberts benched him the next day.
On Sept. 25, Roberts intended to return Puig to the lineup. But Puig showed up late to the ballpark, and Roberts could not abide the tardiness. Roberts met with members of the front office to discuss the infractions. They needed to explain to the media why Puig wasn’t in the lineup. General manager Farhan Zaidi wanted to be vague. He felt there was no need to call out Puig. Roberts disagreed. “He was like, ‘[Puig] did something stupid, and then he showed up late,’ ” Zaidi said. “Our instinct is to cringe a little when we hear that stuff. But I think the honesty with which Doc has treated him is part of what’s gotten him to buy back in.” The response from Puig was immediate. He doubled in his first game back in the lineup, supplied two hits the next night and set the
stage for his performance in these playoffs. Recently, a Dodgers official joked about how Puig’s trade value would skyrocket this winter; the time to sell was now. That outcome appears quite unlikely, given Puig’s popularity among fans, his production on the field and his relative affordability. The Dodgers owe Puig only $9.2 million for 2018. So expect to see plenty more of Puig. And plenty more of his tongue. “Right now, he’s playing at such a high level,” Roberts said. “He’s really bought into how important every pitch is, and that’s something that as this season has progressed, he’s really understood that importance.” andy.mccullough@latimes.com Twitter: @McCulloughTimes
Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times
TASTY: Puig is forever sticking out his tongue, whether it’s to celebrate a win,
joke with teammates or even to kill time between pitches.
Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times
CHEERLEADING: Whenever Puig has gotten a key hit in the postseason, his
celebrations and facial expressions become a must-see for Dodgers fans.
Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times
INSPIRING: Puig is thrilled after racing around the bases and diving safely into
third base on a triple against the Diamondbacks in the NLDS.
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Robert Carter For The Times
ALWAYS TRUE-BLUE Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda is ready for one more World Series
By Bill Shaikin There had been a camera trained on Tommy Lasorda, no surprise to anyone who followed the Dodgers with even the slightest degree of interest. Kirk Gibson blew off an immediate interview on the field, disappearing down the dugout steps. So NBC cut to the replays, with the two images that endure to this day. Gibson jerked his right elbow backward, twice, as he rounded second base. “Watch Lasorda,” said Joe Garagiola, the NBC analyst. And there was Lasorda, the manager, thrusting both arms toward the sky, deliriously taking a few steps onto the field, throwing up his arms again, hopping and skipping and huffing and puffing, his arms going up and down every couple of steps as if he were a marionette. When Clayton Kershaw delivers the first pitch of the World Series on Tuesday, it will mark 29 years, eight days, 20 hours and about 30 minutes since the Gibson home run, that legendary exclamation point on Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Not that Los Angeles has been counting. Gibson walked off the Oakland Athletics that day, the Dodgers won that World Series five days later, and the Fall Classic had gone on without the Dodgers ever since. “It’s been a long, long time,” Lasorda said last week at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. “It’s like Chicago. They had been over 100 years. I thought our team was going to be like that.” Until last season, the Cubs had not won the World Series since 1908. The Dodgers have not won it this year, but this team won more games in the regular season than any of its predecessors had in the six decades since the team moved
from Brooklyn. In the 1988 World Series, the Dodgers had that one at-bat from Gibson. Oakland had Jose Canseco batting third and Mark McGwire batting fifth. The Dodgers had Mickey Hatcher batting third and Orel Hershiser sprinkling magic dust. “They scratched all year,” Lasorda said. “They believed in themselves. And we won with them.” And the 2017 Dodgers? Lasorda laughed. “This team,” he said, “is much, much better.” That Lasorda is part of this team feels right. That the Dodgers could find the right place for him with this team, well, that was a delicate dance for the better part of a decade. Hershiser went on to pitch for the hated San Francisco Giants and coach for the Texas Rangers. Gibson coached for the Detroit Tigers and managed the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mike Scioscia, the catcher on the 1988 Dodgers, left the organization to manage the Angels, winning the 2002 World Series with two of his 1988 teammates — Hatcher and shortstop Alfredo Griffin — on his coaching staff. Lasorda never left, never even entertained the thought. “I wanted to die a Dodger,” he said. “I love the Dodgers so much.” After the 1988 World Series, the Dodgers never won another postseason game under Lasorda. He was nudged into retirement in1996, after a heart attack, and into a vaguely defined role in the front office. In 1997, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Lasorda said he liked Bobby Valentine best among all the major league managers. Bill Russell was managing the Dodgers. In 1998, when he served as interim general manager, he traded a prospect named Paul Konerko for
closer Jeff Shaw, without realizing Shaw could demand a trade at the end of the season. In the meantime, the Dodgers had been sold, for the first time in generations. To the O’Malley family, Lasorda was family. To Rupert Murdoch and Fox, he was an employee in a corporate asset under absentee ownership, with new management eager to make its own mark. When Frank McCourt bought the Dodgers in 2004, Lasorda lamented that he had been marginalized under Fox ownership. He was 76 by then. He no longer aspired to a big say in running the team. He just wanted to be respected and appreciated. McCourt, an outsider from Boston, quickly and smartly embraced Lasorda. So did Stan Kasten, the president of the Guggenheim Baseball group that purchased the Dodgers from McCourt five years ago. Lasorda signed a ball for Kasten’s son some three decades ago, with this inscription: “You and the Dodgers are great.” Kasten said he saw Lasorda sign some memorabilia for someone recently, with the same inscription. “All of what we know as Tommy’s demeanor and actions in life, it’s all so sincere,” Kasten said. “He thinks this, 24-7. In every fiber of his being, there has never been anyone, anywhere that can equal that part of his personality.” Lasorda’s role is most often described as ambassador, and that fits. So does mascot, but not in a disparaging way. He represents the team and makes fans smile. He preaches the Dodgers gospel far and wide. He signs autographs for countless hours during spring training, lends his likeness to bobblehead dolls, spins stories of his seven decades in baseball, poses for selfies with fans, sits in the owners’ box more than the
owners. When Kershaw signed his first contract, at 18, he and his mother got to meet Lasorda. “That was pretty cool,” Kershaw said. When Kenley Jansen participated in his first spring training, as a 17-year-old catcher, Lasorda needled him about needing to hit better if he wanted to avoid returning home and cutting sugar cane in Curacao. (Not true, but pitching came later.) When Dave Roberts participated in his first spring training with the Dodgers, as a 29-year-old outfielder, Lasorda took over his session with the hitting coach, advising Roberts to hit down on the ball and sticking around for two more hours to make sure he did. “Called me ‘the Okinawa Kid,’ ” said Roberts, who was born in Okinawa, Japan. “Until I became manager, I don’t think he knew my name.” When Alex Anthopoulos joined the Dodgers front office last year, he joined Lasorda for dinner one night. Or, at least, he waited at the table while Lasorda was repeatedly stopped for autographs and pictures. “It was like sitting with the Godfather,” Anthopoulos said. “Everybody knows who he is.” That has been true since Lasorda managed, when he was the face of the team. His office was a social club. Lasorda might have interrupted an interview to say hello to Frank Sinatra, or to invite his players to come on in for the latest catered pasta. Lasorda’s style of managing never would fly today. The Dodgers clubhouse is much larger and the manager’s office much smaller. The players are the stars, in Los Angeles and elsewhere. The frontoffice executives are celebrities, a trend accelerated by the rise of fantasy sports and the accessibility of
analytics. The manager is a middle manager, a corporate spokesman. Front-office types walking into the clubhouse to present data and offer advice to players? Back in the day, that was heresy. “I never had that happen in my 20 years,” Lasorda said. “But they’re part of the team. They’re part of the winning. They’re part of the losing. These guys take an interest that’s a little unusual. They go down every day and talk to the guys. It’s OK. It’s all right. “Just so they win. That’s the main thing.” They win. Just in time, perhaps. Lasorda turned 90 last month. He is a blue lion in winter. He had a pacemaker installed in May. He sometimes uses a motorized wheelchair to navigate Dodger Stadium. The lines he has delivered for decades — wanting to see one more World Series championship before the Big Dodger in the Sky calls him home, hoping the team schedule can be affixed to his tombstone so cemetery visitors can see whether the Dodgers are playing at home that night — no longer ring so funny. The World Series opens Tuesday, at the ballpark Lasorda calls “Blue Heaven on Earth.” If the Dodgers win, Lasorda could ride in one more parade. “I hope so. I think so. I believe so,” Lasorda said. “I believe we are going to do it.” He paused, just long enough to command attention and anticipation from his listener. He might not talk as loudly as he used to. He might not walk as fast. The twinkle in his eye is every bit as defiant as ever. “We’d better do it,” Lasorda said. bill.shaikin@latimes.com Twitter: @BillShaikin