L.A. Times World Series Preview Print PDFs by LATawards

T UE S DAY, OC TO B ER 24 , 2 017

L AT IM ES . CO M /D OD G ERS

WORLD SERIES

The Dodgers and Houston Astros begin the World Series on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers last reached the Fall Classic in 1988, when in Game 1 , a gimpy Kirk Gibson hit the most famous home run in team history. The Dodgers played Houston in the playoffs in 1981, winning a division series en route to the title.

Robert Carter For The Times

T U E S DAY, O C T O BE R 2 4 , 2 017

L AT I ME S . CO M

WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

DAVE ROBERTS , finishing his second season as Dodgers manager, is all smiles before Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium.

FRIENDS AFIELD Roberts and Hinch, who met in San Diego, square off as World Series managers

By Andy McCullough In the fall of 2015, as he prepared to interview for the post as Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts reached out to a friends and mentors for advice. One of the men he contacted was A.J. Hinch, who had just completed his first season managing the Houston Astros. Hinch understood the dynamics of running a baseball club for a sabermetrically inclined front office. The Astros had risen from the ashes under the leadership of general manager Jeff Luhnow. Hinch operated as a translator for the information as it flowed from the front office to the diamond. Hinch figured the Dodgers’ baseball operations department of Andrew Friedman would seek a similar figure in a manager. “He had a feel for Andrew and the guys, and was gauging my openness to analytics,” Roberts said. “He just wanted to make sure that knowing these guys, I knew it was really important.” Roberts heeded the message. He got the job. And nearly two years later, he prepared to duel with his friend Hinch in the World Series, which will begin on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. On Monday afternoon, as the Dodgers took batting practice at the ballpark, Hinch visited Roberts and gave him a hug. The men met while working for the San Diego Padres. Roberts rose through the ranks as a coach. Hinch toiled in the front office. Over breakfast one morning this summer, they joked about the prospect of facing off in the World Series. “We’ve got to be careful what we wish for,” Hinch said. “I love the man,” Hinch said. “He’s an excellent example of what leadership should be about. I have a lot of respect for how he connects well with players and how he’s leading his team. And I’m really happy and proud that we’re in this together.” The connections between the clubs extend beyond the managers. Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, grew up in Houston. His father is the chairman of the Harris CountyHouston Sports Authority, which operates as the landlord of Minute Maid Park. After the 2011 season, Astros owner Jim Crane approached Friedman about taking over his franchise’s baseball department. At the time, Friedman was the general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays. Friedman said he spoke “informally” about the position with Crane. He declined to pursue the position. “I just wasn’t in the frame of mind to leave,” Friedman said. With Friedman out of the picture, Crane hired Luhnow, an executive with the St. Louis Cardinals. Luhnow embarked on a strategy of winning through losing, placing his

WORLD SERIES

DODGERS vs. HOUSTON Best-of-seven series GM

1 GM

2 GM

3 GM

4 GM

5 David J. Phillip Associated Press

ASTROS MANAGER A.J. Hinch hits baseballs before Game 2 of the AL Championship Series. “I

love the man,” he says of Roberts. “He’s an excellent example of what leadership should be about.”

6 GM

Today at Dodgers, 5 p.m. LA: Kershaw (18-4, 2.31) HOU: Keuchel (14-5, 2.90) Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m. LA: Hill (12-8, 3.32) HOU: Verlander (15-8, 3.36) Friday at Houston, 5 p.m. LA: Darvish (10-12, 3.86) HOU: TBD Saturday at Houston, 5 p.m. LA: TBD HOU: TBD Sunday at Houston, 5 p.m. LA: TBD HOU: TBD Oct. 31 at Dodgers, 5 p.m. LA: TBD HOU: TBD Nov. 1 at Dodgers, 5 p.m. LA: TBD HOU: TBD

TV: All games on Channel 11 Games 5-7 if necessary | Times PDT

Eric Christian Smith Associated Press

THE LATE AUGUST acquisition of Justin Verlander, a former Cy Young Award winner in Detroit,

revitalized the Astros’ rotation. He will start Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday.

franchise on the vanguard of the tanking phenomenon. The Astros lost 107 games in 2012, 111 games in 2013 and 92 games in 2014. Along the way, they drafted future contributors such as shortstop Carlos Correa, pitcher Lance McCullers and third baseman Alex Bregman, They built around a core of second baseman Jose Altuve and outfielder George Springer. By 2015, the Astros had reached the playoffs. Houston won 101 games in 2017 and boasted the league’s best offense. Altuve might

win the American League MVP. Springer hit 34 homers. Ten of their players hit 13 homers or more, including former Dodger Josh Reddick. “Their whole lineup is really solid,” Game 1 Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw said. “You saw that all year. They won a hundred games for a reason. Starts without Altuve and Correa in the middle of that lineup. They’re both exceptional baseball players. Really all the way down. They have a lot of guys that swing the bats well.”

Defusing the Astros lineup may be the biggest challenge facing the Dodgers in this series. Houston went cold for three games in the American League Championship Series, allowing a two-games-tonone lead over the Yankees to morph into a 3-2 deficit before returning to life during the final two games at Minute Maid Park. Along the way, Hinch struggled to find a reliable rotation of relievers. He leaned upon McCullers for the final four innings in Game 7 last week. McCullers will probably start

either Game 3 or 4 in this series. The late August acquisition of Justin Verlander, a former Cy Young Award winner in Detroit, revitalized the Astros’ rotation. He gave up two runs in 16 innings against the Yankees, and will start on Wednesday in Game 2. “He raises everybody’s game, not just mine,” Astros Game 1 starter Dallas Keuchel said. “You heard Altuve talk about him. He said he literally loved Justin Verlander. If Jose says that about you, he really means it.” The Dodgers are unlikely to ask their starters to last late into games. Roberts has relied upon a five-man fleet of relievers to shut down opposing lineups. The duo of Kenta Maeda and Brandon Morrow can overpower right-handed hitters; Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani handle left-handed hitters. Kenley Jansen awaits at the end of the line, and he has overwhelmed all hitters this postseason. In this regard, Roberts holds a clear advantage over Hinch, his contemporary and his friend. After the Dodgers downed the Cubs last week, Hinch congratulated Roberts with a text message. Roberts returned the favor after Houston outlasted the Yankees. “And from that point on,” Roberts said, “it’s been radio silence.” andy.mccullough@latimes.com Twitter: @McCulloughTimes

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TUES DAY, O CTOBER 24, 2017

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T UE S DAY, OC T O BE R 2 4 , 2 017

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

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

TUE S DAY , OCTOBER 24, 2017

L AT I ME S . C O M

L ATI M E S . C O M

TU E S DAY , OCTOB E R 2 4 , 2 017

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

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

R/R

Chase Utley

No. 65 Age: 27

2017 STATS HR RBI 0 2

AVG .300

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

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.

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

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.

TUE S DAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017

L AT I ME S . C O M

LATIMES.C OM

TU ES DAY , OCTO BER 2 4 , 2 017

WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

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

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%

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

’17

The cutter moves in the opposite direction of his sinker.

100%

Batting averages against Jansen

0-2

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

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

Walks

Strikeouts

109

Earned runs

Saves

Blown saves

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

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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HE’S SITTING THIS ONE OUT

Adrian Gonzalez, a fan favorite and clubhouse leader, won’t join the team at the World Series BILL SHAIKIN ON BASEBALL

There is no better World Series tradition than the introduction of each player in uniform. If you work for the home team, you get a nice round of applause, even if you are an obscure reliever, a quality assurance coach or a soft-tissue specialist. The fan favorites draw the loudest and most sustained applause. Adrian Gonzalez would get a warm ovation, but he is not expected to join the Dodgers for the World Series. It’s his choice. It’s too bad. Gonzalez has played more games without a World Series appearance than all but two active players: Ichiro Suzuki and Brandon Phillips. He would not have played in this World Series because of what the Dodgers said was a recurrence of a back injury, but he had earned a round of cheers from a large and loyal fan base that cherishes him. Justin Turner, who occupies the locker next to Gonzalez, declined to say whether he was disappointed that Gonzalez had chosen not to bask in World Series applause. “This is Adrian’s deal, not mine,” Turner said. “He’s a really good friend of mine. I’m proud of him and happy to be a teammate of his. “I text him almost every day: We miss you, we want you to be here with us, you should be here enjoying this with us. But I understand.” Gonzalez, 35, a five-time AllStar, had played at least 156 games in 11 consecutive seasons. He went on the disabled list in May, for the first time in his career, and went back on the DL in June. On Sept. 26, in his final at-bat, he hit a home run. The Dodgers announced the next day that he had aggravated his back injury and was done for the season. The playoffs have gone on without him in the lineup, or even in the clubhouse. “We totally respect his deci-

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

ADRIAN GONZALEZ during a game in September. The playoffs have gone on without him in the lineup, or even in the clubhouse.

sion,” general manager Farhan Zaidi said. “He’s meant a lot to this organization. He’s been in constant contact with the front office, the players, the coaching staff and Doc [manager Dave Roberts], expressing his support. Everybody here knows he’s fully behind us.” Said Kenley Jansen: “He’s going to support us. He doesn’t want to be a distraction. That’s awesome. That shows you what kind of character he has.” Cody Bellinger, who replaced Gonzalez at first base, said Gonzalez had been kind in sharing defensive positioning tips and other suggestions to calm a rookie’s wandering mind. “I don’t really pay attention the

most,” Bellinger said. “He really kind of locked me down: This is the big leagues, you’ve got to focus on every pitch.” In July, Gonzalez told Times columnist Dylan Hernandez that he had come to appreciate “a different perspective” at this later stage of his career. “You’re not worried about all the other things that a young kid would worry about,” Gonzalez said then. “I’m not trying to make it to an All-Star game, I’m not trying to win a Gold Glove. I’m just trying to have fun. I’m just trying to help the team win.” Gonzalez has 20 at-bats against Justin Verlander, more than any Dodger besides Curtis

Granderson. He might have offered insight about how to hit Verlander, the Game 2 starter for the Houston Astros, but Gonzalez and his family went on vacation in Europe. “I know all of us have been wondering where he’s at and looking forward to seeing him again,” outfielder Andre Ethier said. “We know that he’s a big part of this and want him to know that he’s a big part of this.” Zaidi said he believed Gonzalez would have no trouble being a leader next season, even as he opted not to finish this season with the team. “He’s not physically able to play,” Zaidi said. “He’s taking time

with his family. I think guys totally understand that.” Gonzalez is under contract next season, at $21.5 million. He would like to play regularly, but Bellinger’s emergence means Gonzalez might have to try to do so elsewhere. That is an issue for the winter, and maybe the spring too: Gonzalez can veto any trade, and he probably would have to show he is healthy to interest another team. You never know. He could have waved to the crowd, perhaps for the last time as a Dodger. It’s his choice. bill.shaikin@latimes.com Twitter: @BillShaikin

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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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WORLD SERIES PREVIEW DODGERS REPORT

ASTROS REPORT

By Andy McCullough and Kevin Baxter

By Pedro Moura and Kevin Baxter

Corey Seager expects to start at shortstop for the Dodgers on Tuesday in Game 1 of the World Series. After missing the National League Championship Series with a lower back strain, Seager completed a series of hurdles in his rehabilitation. He has taken batting practice. He has run the bases. He has faced live pitching in simulated games. He has done pretty much everything, he said, except for sliding into bases — which is how he injured his back in Game 3 of the National League division series against Arizona. “I’m going to have to probably do that today,” Seager said Monday. “It was one of those things that I’ve watched the slide over and over, and it wasn’t awkward. So it never really came back into my mind to practice sliding again. But I probably should. “It’s not a mental thing, which is really nice. It’s not something where I need to slide. It was such a fluke thing that I don’t know if I need to.” Seager received a pain-killing epidural injection the day after he was injured. He had never received treatment like that before. “It was nice,” Seager said. “It helped.”

Dallas Keuchel had a couple of days to consider the Houston Astros’ place in the World Series, and his Game 1 start Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The left-hander concluded that one of his favorite parts about it is where his team stood in the not-sodistant past. Four seasons ago, the Astros were so dreadful they all looked forward to Sept. 29, the last day of the regular season. It was the day they suffered their 15th consecutive loss and 111th in all. The Astros finished 45 games behind division-winning Oakland. “It was like, thank goodness the season is over with,” Keuchel said. Keuchel was nothing but complimentary toward the Dodgers lineup he will face Tuesday. “They’ll be the deepest team that we’ve played, hands down,” Keuchel said. “You don’t win a hundred-plus games for just luck of the draw.” Keuchel ran down the threats the Dodgers’ lineup presents. “You could talk about everybody,” he said. “They’re extremely deep.” The Astros did not finish with the American League’s best record. The Cleveland Indians bested them by one game. The 104win Dodgers were three games better than anyone else in baseball. Keuchel said the World Series this year matches best against best. “Pitching staffs, bullpens, pinch-runners, you name it, coaching staffs,” he added. “It really is, top to bottom, the two best teams.”

Keuchel recalls the lean years in Houston

Seager expects to start at shortstop

Turner is fit

Held out of the team’s workout on Sunday, third baseman Justin Turner downplayed any concern about his health. He stayed indoors as maintenance on his knees, he said, but lifted in the weight room and took indoor batting practice. “My knees are great,” Turner said. Manager Dave Roberts said few Dodgers were likely to appreci-

Harry How Getty Images

COREY SEAGER and Chris Taylor at practice at Dodger Sta-

dium on Monday. Seager missed the NLCS with a back strain. ate the World Series more than Turner, who went from being a seldom-used utility player with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets earlier in his career to an AllStar and NLCS co-MVP with the Dodgers at age 32. “You see his kind of path, trying to survive, from Baltimore to the Mets; a guy that just kind of played once a week to being the glue to our ballclub. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who had that similar path,” Roberts said. “JT deserves everything that’s come his way.”

Grateful to the Astros

Enrique Hernandez was signed by the Houston Astros, spent parts of six seasons in their minor league system and made his big-league debut for the team in July 2014. Less than a month later, he was traded to the Miami Marlins. “I didn’t even know that that was possible,” he said Monday. “A month after getting to the big leagues? I didn’t know that it was legal to get traded that soon.” Three seasons later, Hernandez said he’s gotten over the shock, and he credits the Astros for making him both a major league player and a man.

“I went from being a 17-year-old kid out of Puerto Rico to finding a way to mature and become a big leaguer at 22,” he said. “I will always be extremely appreciative of that organization. They gave me a chance to sign my first professional deal. I got to fulfill my dreams by just getting to the big leagues with them.” The team is still affecting his life. Earlier this month, Astros owner Jim Crane sent three planes to Puerto Rico with 300,000 pounds of supplies for victims of Hurricane Maria. When those planes returned to the U.S., Hernandez’s parents and sisters and part of his fiancee’s family were aboard. Hernandez said he hoped to get his grandparents off the island in time for Game 3 of the World Series on Friday in Houston. “There’s a lot of love for that organization and that’s never going to change,” Hernandez said. Of course, that affection will be put on hold with the first pitch on Tuesday. “I’m a Dodger now,” he said. andy.mccullough@latimes.com Twitter: @McCulloughTimes kevin.baxter@latimes.com Twitter: @kbaxter11

Mr. October

Carlos Beltran’s postseason numbers would add up to a pretty good season for many players: a .311 batting average, .417 on-base percentage and .618 slugging percent-

BECOMING A GREAT DAD ALSO TAKES PRACTICE. For more tips and ideas visit First5LA.org/Parenting

Congratulations Los Angeles!

age with 16 home runs and 42 runs batted in over 62 games. The Astros’ designated hitter attributes that success to seemingly divergent traits: excitement and composure. “You have to control your emotions. You have to enjoy the moment,” he said in Spanish. “Because at the end of the day, how many players that played in the big leagues get the opportunity to play in the World Series? It’s a blessing. “This is what you dream as a ballplayer. Your first dream is trying to get to the big leagues. Your second dream is trying to win a World Series.” That last part is the one thing missing from Beltran’s stellar postseason resume. Although he’s played in 14 playoff series for five teams, he’s made it to the World Series only once, with St. Louis in 2013. The Cardinals lost to Boston that fall. At 40, this could be the last chance for the 20-year veteran. “I’m just grateful to be in this position,” he said. “It would be great to win it. And if I don’t win it, it wasn’t meant to be.”

The other blue crew

Gerry Davis, working the World Series for a record-tying sixth time, is the crew chief for the third time, Major League Baseball announced Monday. Davis, a big-league umpire for 34 seasons, has worked a record 136 postseason games. Joe West is the only other active umpire who has worked six World Series. Davis’ previous World Series appearances came in 1996, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2012. The Associated Press contributed to this report. pedro.moura@latimes.com Twitter: @pedromoura kevin.baxter@latimes.com Twitter: @kbaxter11

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WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

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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WORLD SERIES PREVIEW: ASTROS’ POSTSEASON ROAD

Eric Christian Smith Associated Press

LANCE McCULLERS JR. hugs Brian McCann after the Astros defeated the New York Yankees to capture their second pennant. They won the NL crown in 2005.

SIMPLY STELLAR

Astros ride Altuve’s power, Verlander’s pitching to reach second World Series { ALDS: HOUSTON VS. BOSTON } By Houston Mitchell GAME 1 HOUSTON 8, BOSTON 2 Highlights: Astros second baseman Jose Altuve hit three home runs, two off of Red Sox ace Chris Sale, and Justin Verlander pitched six strong innings. Sale, who led the majors in strikeouts, gave up seven runs in five innings. Quote: “I told him the last time I’ve seen three home runs in a game was Pablo Sandoval and I gave up two of them, so I’m glad there’s somebody new that’s done it.” — Verlander. GAME 2 HOUSTON 8, BOSTON 2 Highlights: Carlos Correa homered, doubled and drove in four

runs and Jose Altuve got two hits as the Astros defeated the Red Sox by the same score as Game 1. Dallas Keuchel pitched into the sixth, allowing one run and three hits while striking out seven. Quote: “They’re very good, they’re deep, and they have got a number of ways to beat you.” — Boston manager John Farrell. GAME 3 BOSTON 10, HOUSTON 3 Highlights: Hanley Ramirez had three hits and four RBIs and David Price pitched four scoreless innings in relief. Mitch Moreland had three of the Red Sox’s 15 hits, which is the same number of hits they got in the first two games combined. Boston scored six runs in the seventh to put the game away.

Quote: “I think that’s my job: Find a way to come through in big situations. It’s the playoffs. It’s go time.” — Ramirez. GAME 4 HOUSTON 5, BOSTON 4 Highlights: Verlander pitched 22⁄3 innings of relief to get the win and Josh Reddick had the go-ahead single in the eighth inning to send the Astros to a league championship series for the first time since 2005. The losing pitcher was Sale, also pitching in relief. Quote: “That’s kind of the whole energy that he’s brought since we brought him over here. He’s brought an energy with him that, ‘Hey, when he’s out there, we’re going to win.’ ” — Houston third baseman Alex Bregman, on Verlander.

{ ALCS: HOUSTON VS. NEW YORK} GAME 1 HOUSTON 2, NEW YORK 1 Highlights: Dallas Keuchel struck out 10 in seven scoreless innings and gave up only four hits, all singles, to improve to 8-2 with a 1.09 ERA in eight starts against the Yankees in the regular season and postseason combined. He joined Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott as the only Astros to reach double digits in strikeouts in a postseason game. Quote: “I think it’s just pitch execution, and it’s just been there more times than it hasn’t against the Yankees.” — Keuchel. GAME 2 HOUSTON 2, NEW YORK 1 Highlights: Jose Altuve scored the winning run on Carlos Correa’s double in the bottom of the ninth inning off of Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman. The relay throw beat Altuve to the plate, but Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez misplayed the ball, allowing Altuve to score. Quote: “When I saw him running I was like, ‘Oh, no.’ And then, obviously, he beat it out.” — Correa. GAME 3 NEW YORK 8, HOUSTON 1 Highlights: Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer and made two great defensive plays and Todd Frazier hit a three-run homer in the second to start the Yankees rolling. CC Sabathia gave up three hits over six scoreless innings for his first postseason win in five years. Quote: “It’s such a cool feeling. I wish everybody could feel basically what I’m going through.” — Frazier. GAME 4 NEW YORK 6, HOUSTON 4

Charles Krupa Associated Press

HOUSTON’S Carlos Correa reacts after hitting a two-run homer off Boston starter Doug Fister,

rear. But the Red Sox scored six times in the seventh inning to take Game 3, 10-3.

Highlights: Aaron Judge’s home run in the seventh ignited a comeback that saw the Yankees rally from four runs down. He also had a score-tying double during a four-run eighth inning. Gary Sanchez followed with a two-run

double off of Astros closer Ken Giles for the win. Quote: “The dreams aren’t the same as reality. To be out with the crowd and the atmosphere, it was unbelievable.” — Judge, on how he used to dream of playoff at-bats at Yankee Stadium. GAME 5 NEW YORK 5, HOUSTON 0 Highlights: Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven innings of three-hit ball and Gary Sanchez had a home run and two RBIs. Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and Didi Gregorius also had big hits as the Yankees handed Dallas Keuchel his first postseason loss. Quote: “Yankee Stadium is a tough place to play and it was rockin’ these three games, but it’s going to be rockin’ on Friday for us.” — Keuchel GAME 6 HOUSTON 7, NEW YORK 1 Highlights: Justin Verlander pitched seven shutout innings and Jose Altuve homered and had three RBIs. Astros center fielder George Springer made a leaping catch at the fence that robbed Todd Frazier of extra bases with two on in the seventh and the Astros up 3-0. Quote: “I literally love Justin Verlander. The way he goes out there makes me feel like I have to go out there and play the same way he’s doing it.” — Altuve GAME 7 HOUSTON 4, NEW YORK 0 Highlights: Brian McCann, the former Yankees catcher whose $17million salary is being paid in part by New York as a condition of a trade last November, had three RBIs and Astros starter Charlie Morton (five innings) and Lance McCullers Jr. (four innings) combined on a three-hitter to lead the Astros to their second World Series appearance. Quote: “This city, they deserve this.” — McCullers houston.mitchell@latimes.com

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WORLD SERIES PREVIEW: DODGERS’ POSTSEASON ROAD

Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times

JUSTIN TURNER hit a three-run homer in the first inning of L.A.’s 9-5 victory over Arizona in Game 1. He tied a playoff franchise record with a five-RBI night.

{ NLDS: DODGERS VS. ARIZONA }

POWER LAUNCH

As the postseason begins, an offensive outburst gets the Boys in Blue rolling

GAME 1 DODGERS 9, ARIZONA 5

Reasserting their NL preeminence Headline: Dodgers regain their summer swagger Andy McCullough: In the first game of the first round of 2017 playoffs, the Dodgers pulped the Diamondbacks in a 9-5 victory, galvanized a crowd of 54,707 at Dodger Stadium and re-staked their claim for National League preeminence. A four-run, first-inning blitz against a jittery pitcher set the tone. Justin Turner bashed a three-run homer, en route to tying a playoff franchise record with a five-RBI night. Corey Seager scored three runs and delivered a tension-easing RBI triple in the eighth. And Yasiel Puig provided the lasting memory of the evening, wagging his tongue like mad as he dived into third base for a triple, delivering an image to match a game in which he collected two hits, drove in two runs and licked at least one bat. The levity of the summer seeped into October. The offensive outburst came at an ideal time, as the calendar turned to the postseason. Handed the lead, Clayton Kershaw towed his team into the seventh inning before a fusillade ended his night. Arizona walloped a quartet of solo home runs against Kershaw, the most allowed by any Dodger in postseason franchise history. Two came in the seventh, on back-to-back pitches to shortstop Ketel Marte and catcher Jeff Mathis. Kershaw finished with seven strikeouts in 61⁄3 innings. The barrage sent a scare through the ballpark, but it could not offset the Dodgers’ early charge. They said it: “He’s done that all season. It doesn’t seem like the most sanitary thing to do, but if it keeps getting him hits, I hope he does it more.” — Clayton Kershaw, on Yasiel Puig’s habit of licking his bat. By the numbers: Arizona’s Taijuan Walker threw 48 pitches in the first inning, setting the tone for a postseason in which the Dodgers made starting pitchers work for their outs. Bill Plaschke: On an early

October night that appropriately felt like a warm July afternoon, the Dodgers began their longawaited postseason Friday with a raucous, rollicking flashback. Remember when everyone thought they could be the best team in baseball history? Before everyone thought they were the worst team in baseball history? Well, after a few hours of brilliant hitting, sturdy pitching and serious snake crushing, everyone can feel free to jump back on the belief wagon. Dylan Hernandez: By themselves, the home runs could be viewed as an aberration. In the context of the last month, they are a clear sign of trouble. Clayton Kershaw isn’t himself. He became the first pitcher in Dodgers history to serve up four home runs in a postseason game, doing so Friday night in the opening game of the National League division series. As much as the Dodgers boast about their depth and claim to be less dependent on Kershaw, the reality is they won’t win the World Series with him pitching like this. GAME 2 DODGERS 8, ARIZONA 5

Making noise at just the right time Headline: It’s a hit sequel for Dodgers Andy McCullough: Rich Hill clutched the cardboard sign and walked into the Dodgers’ dugout. The crowd at Dodger Stadium was sitting on its hands in the seventh inning on Saturday, minutes after a five-run lead over Arizona had shrunk to two. The second game of the National League division series was no longer a party, a lark, a celebration of the Dodgers’ might. The 54,726 fans assembled at Chavez Ravine wore the scars of the past and suffered the tension of the present. Hill sought to counteract the encroaching dread with a handcrafted message: “Make Some Noise.” The crowd caught Hill’s drift. The cheers gathered in volume as the Dodgers mounted a rally. As if on cue, a grounder from Chris Taylor rolled through the legs of Arizona shortstop Ketel Marte. A

run scored, the stadium popped, and the Dodgers had enough to hang on for an 8-5 victory to capture a 2-0 lead in this series. After four years of postseason heartbreak, perhaps these Dodgers are different. The offense has reduced the Diamondbacks’ pitching staff to dust over the last 18 innings. Arizona has launched six home runs, but remains on the verge of elimination. In Game 1, the Dodgers bruised the Diamondbacks for nine runs. A day later, the offense toppled Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray, a man who entered the game with an ownership deed for the Dodgers in his back pocket. Ray lasted 41⁄3 innings, yielded four runs and exited on the hook for a defeat. Maligned for so much of September, the back half of the lineup carried the Dodgers. Logan Forsythe scored three runs. Yasiel Puig collected three hits. Curtis Granderson hopped off the bench to extend a four-run blitz with a single in the fifth inning. Austin Barnes scored twice and roped a critical two-run double in the fifth. They said it: “The regular season doesn’t matter anymore. But we were the best team in baseball for a reason. We feel that way again. It was just about getting our swagger back.” — Enrique Hernandez. By the numbers: The Dodgers’ Nos. 6-8 hitters went 8 for 12 with four RBIs. Bill Plaschke: His name has become a song, a deep-throated anthem lasting only three seconds yet big enough to engulf a city enraptured by its lyric. “Puiiiiig ... Puiiiiig.” One night after the stealing the show in a Game 1 victory by wagging his tongue, Puig thrilled the house again Saturday by wagging his bat, flexing his arms, screaming for more. In the Dodgers’ 8-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Puig knocked in a run with a grounder, kept alive a scoring inning with a single, knocked in another run with another single, then added an infield single that eventually led to yet another run. Dylan Hernandez: Yu Darvish has pitched nine games for his new team, but the truth is that none of them really counted. There was never any pretense otherwise. From the moment the

Japanese right-hander was acquired, he knew he was here to pitch in October. Specifically, he was here to pitch in October in the kind of game he will pitch in Game 3 of the National League division series, which the Dodgers lead 2-0. As the team’s greatest X factor, his performance could determine how this postseason plays out for the Dodgers. If he can be their second frontline pitcher alongside Clayton Kershaw, he can move the Dodgers within arm’s reach of their first World Series in 29 years. GAME 3 DODGERS 3, ARIZONA 1

After 27 innings, a righteous mess Headline: Dave Roberts makes all the right moves as Dodgers sweep Diamondbacks Andy McCullough: Dave Roberts wore a smile on his face and held a can of Coors Light in his hand. He stood a few feet away from madness, a rising tide of Budweiser and Korbel Brut floating across the floor of the visitors clubhouse at Chase Field, the sight of a 3-1 Dodgers victory to sweep Arizona out of the National League division series. After a tidy 27 innings, the Dodgers made a righteous mess. Streams of booze soared through the air. Kenley Jansen dumped a cooler of ice on Yasiel Puig’s head. Even Chase Utley managed a grin as he flicked beer at Joc Pederson. Roberts stayed out of the fray. A few specks dotted his goggles. Otherwise he was dry, hanging back, greeting players, coaches and executives as they escaped the chaos in the middle of the room. The moment belonged to the players. The night belonged to Roberts, who manipulated this game as if it was his own personal marionette, pulling each string with the proper force at the proper time. In a postseason already littered with managers undone by indecision and miscalculation, Roberts offered a rejoinder: At least one man knows what he is doing. Roberts could not ensure a victory on his own. Cody Bellinger barreled over a dugout railing and blasted a home run. Austin Barnes sent Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke to the showers with

a sixth-inning homer. Yu Darvish struck out seven in five innings of one-run baseball, but Roberts opened his bullpen when Darvish lost his control in the sixth. The Dodgers survived an 0-for-10 night with runners in scoring position by limiting Arizona to only three hits. The bullpen operated at an impeccable clip. Tony Cingrani bailed out Darvish by inducing a double play. Brandon Morrow ripped through the heart of the Arizona lineup. Kenta Maeda embraced his new role as a reliever with three quick outs. Jansen left no doubt. On the back of these relievers, the Dodgers completed their first postseason sweep since downing St. Louis in the first round of the 2009 playoffs. They said it: “When a manager can make it seem like all the pieces fit together perfectly, that’s when you know he’s really done a great job, using the whole roster and strategizing to the absolute maximum. He did an amazing job.” — Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi on Dave Roberts. By the numbers: Yu Darvish gave up only two hits and struck out seven in five innings. Bill Plaschke: These Dodgers have been here before, but never like this. The Dodgers have marched into the National League Championship Series twice before during their current five-year postseason streak, but never with such quiet intensity and blunt force. What was completed at Chase Field here Monday night was more than a sweep, it was a stampede. It was a steamrolling. Or it was, if you want to believe Yasiel Puig, an absolute licking. Dylan Hernandez: Zack Greinke’s role in the Diamondbacks’ demise can’t be understated. No player on either team was as responsible for the Dodgers’ three-game sweep in this National League Division Series. What Madison Bumgarner did in leading the San Francisco Giants to the World Series in 2014, Greinke did the exact opposite over the past week. So this is about as good a time as any to concede that Andrew Friedman was right when he decided to not re-sign him two years ago. — staff reports

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Robert Gauthier Los Angeles Times

DODGERS center fielder Chris Taylor is greeted by manager Dave Roberts after hitting the go-ahead homer off Cubs reliever Hector Rondon in Game 1 of the NLCS.

{ NLCS: DODGERS VS. CHICAGO }

CUBBIES ARE PUT IN A HOLE In a rematch from last year, L.A. and Chicago tangle with a World Series berth on the line — and a different outcome that’s historic in its own right

GAME 1 DODGERS 5, CHICAGO 2

Overcoming a somnolent start Headline: Chris Taylor delivers decisive hit in Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over Cubs Andy McCullough: On the first night of the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers overcame a somnolent start and the psychic blow of losing their All-Star shortstop to capture a 5-2 victory and a 1-0 series lead in front of a sold-out crowd of 54,289 at Dodger Stadium. Unbowed by the absence of Corey Seager, the lineup outlasted Cubs starter Jose Quintana and bullied the Cubs bullpen. They turned a foreboding afternoon into a blissful night. They relied on a cast of characters both familiar and obscure. Yasiel Puig sparked the offense with an RBI double in the fifth and a solo home run in the seventh. Chris Taylor blasted the go-ahead shot in the sixth. In the middle of everything was Charlie Culberson, a lastminute replacement for Seager. Culberson tied the score with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. He scored another run in the seventh on a controversial call at the plate, which elicited the ejection of Cubs manager Joe Maddon and the delight of the crowd at Dodger Stadium. Clayton Kershaw withstood a

sizable uppercut in the fourth inning, a two-run homer by Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr., to complete five innings. He kept the Cubs scoreless otherwise, but manager Dave Roberts trusted his bullpen for the last 12 outs. The relievers retired all 12 batters they faced while Kenley Jansen closed the door with a four-out save. And the Dodgers rolled through their fourth consecutive victory this October, even without Seager. They said it: “People use the word ‘poise’ a lot. But he has poise.” — Dave Roberts on Chris Taylor. By the numbers: Kenta Maeda picked up his second win of the postseason with another scoreless inning of relief. Bill Plaschke: He ran out of the dugout during introductions with his tongue wagging playfully out of his mouth. He took off his cap to reveal lightning bolts shaved into his haircut. Then, a couple of hours later, with a bat flip and a chest thump and roars that made Dodger Stadium literally shake, the Yasiel Puig Show officially began. Nobody epitomizes the Dodgers’ current journey more than their free-spirited, 26-year-old right fielder who, since joining the team at the start of its divisiontitle run in 2013, has run the gamut from star to scorned and now back to star again. He’s been cheered. He’s been benched. He’s been idolized. He’s been demoted. He’s been nearly traded about a

dozen times, and, as recently as a month ago, he was scolded and punished for showing up late and missing batting practice. But Dodgers management always kept him around in hopes that one day, he would maximize his incredible potential under the brightest of lights. That time appears to be now. So far, this October belongs to him. Dylan Hernandez: This will take some getting used to, the sight of Clayton Kershaw replaced in the fifth inning of a game he started. Season after season of falsely claiming they were less dependent on Kershaw, the Dodgers finally have the bullpen necessary to unburden their longtime ace. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the front office’s vision has become reality. GAME 2 DODGERS 4, CHICAGO 1

Echoes of Gibson and Eckersley Headline: Justin Turner’s walk-off home run could be crushing blow for Cubs Andy McCullough: It was something this ballpark and this city had not seen in 29 years. On Oct. 15, 1988, Kirk Gibson pulled himself off the training table for a legacy-defining homer off of Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley. Sitting on a living room floor about 25 miles south of the ballpark, inside his grandmother’s

house in Lakewood, a 3-year-old boy screamed as the baseball cleared the fence. The boy grew up to be a baseball player, then a big leaguer, then a Dodger, then the second Dodger to hit a walk-off playoff homer. On the 29th anniversary of Gibson’s home run, Justin Turner recognized the symmetry as he rounded second base. He decided against mimicking Gibson’s famed fist pump. Instead he hollered at his teammates assembled at the plate, tossed his helmet into the grass and disappeared inside the delirium of two dozen other Dodgers, a group two wins away from the World Series. The noise inside the stadium felt volcanic. The ballpark shook beneath the weight of 54,479 fans stomping in the bleachers and shouting toward the sky. Dave Roberts emerged from the scrum and urged the crowd to raise the decibel level. Yasiel Puig did the same. The crowd obliged — because this ballpark may not host another game for more than a week. Through 18 innings, the Dodgers have dined on the bullpen of the Cubs, a glaring weakness for an otherwise formidable opponent. In Game 2, the Cubs held firm until the bottom of the ninth, when veteran pitcher John Lackey fed Turner a 92-mph fastball at the belt, and Turner etched his name into franchise lore. The moment underscored the strategic advantage Roberts

holds over Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who chose Lackey over closer Wade Davis, who Maddon said was only available in a save situation. The situation never arose. Turner guaranteed that. They said it: “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my baseball career.” — Justin Turner on his walk-off homer. By the numbers: Rich Hill struck out eight and gave up three hits in five innings. Bill Plaschke: The ball soared into the black sky, carried through the thick night air, dropped gently over the centerfield fence, and the guy with the flowing red hair and bushy beard stuck out his thick arms as if they were wings. Today, all of Los Angeles is flying with him. Happy anniversary, Kirk Gibson. Welcome to Dodgers legend, Justin Turner. Dylan Hernandez: If the Chicago Cubs are America’s cuddly little team, then Joe Maddon is America’s cuddly little manager, an affable baseball lifer who is well-read and has a wide range of interests that extend far beyond the foul lines. Well, sorry, America, but your man blew it. And to think it was because Maddon couldn’t shake tradition, a somewhat unexpected turn of events considering this was the same renaissance man who changed how defense is played in the major leagues with his frequent use of shifts as the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays. Maddon stuck by baseball’s

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old axiom of not using a closer with a tied score on the road, which was why three-time AllStar Wade Davis remained seated in the bullpen at Dodger Stadium while reliever-by-necessity John Lackey served up a walk-off, three-run home run to Justin Turner. His thinking wasn’t without reason, but John Lackey? Really? GAME 3 DODGERS 6, CHICAGO 1

A curious move that really pays off Headline: Dodgers walk over the Cubs in Game 3 Andy McCullough: In a postseason packed with bat flips, Yu Darvish’s in the sixth inning of a 6-1 victory over the Cubs was the most improbable. With two outs and the bases loaded, Dave Roberts allowed Darvish to bat for himself, even after sending Curtis Granderson to the on-deck circle as a decoy. Roberts decided outs were more precious than runs — and he would be rewarded with both. The move looked curious in the moment. In hindsight, it served as another chapter in this pristine postseason, one in which the Dodgers own a commanding 3-0 series lead, and reside one victory away from their first World Series since 1988. Roberts manages a club in an enviable position. Roberts operates with urgency in the playoffs, willing to insert pitchers and pinch-hitters with abandon in search of exploiting any edge. Here he opted for restraint, hoping to extend Darvish deeper into the game. As his team stormed to their sixth consecutive playoff victory, Roberts received the best of both worlds: Darvish took a walk to extend a two-run lead to three, then lasted 61⁄3 innings without permitting another run. Darvish surrendered a solo homer to the second batter he faced, Kyle Schwarber. He did not allow another Cub to stand on third base. He finished with seven strikeouts. He lasted long enough to avoid exhausting the bullpen. As Darvish displayed the strength of his chin, his teammates demonstrated their indefatigability. The lineup swarmed Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks, their nemesis from last October, with homers by Andre Ethier and Chris Taylor, then milked two runs out of Joe Maddon’s tinderbox bullpen in the eighth. Hendricks took the mound with a lead. Darvish had given up two hits in his first postseason start as a Dodger. He allowed three in Tuesday’s first inning. Schwarber lifted a thigh-high cutter into the left-field bleachers for a solo shot. The blast gave away the strength of the wind as it carried out of the ballpark: The ball would be flying. A pair of well-struck singles followed, though Darvish escaped with a pair of strikeouts. For the third game in a row, the Cubs scored first. An answer arrived in the top of the second. Hendricks tested Ethier with an 87-mph sinker, and the veteran ripped a tying homer over the ivy in right field. They said it: “Every time they get something, it’s about how we can answer. Just trying to keep them on their heels as much as possible.” — Andre Ethier. By the numbers: The Cubs were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position, bringing them to 0 for 9 for the series. Bill Plaschke: The Dodgers are so close to the World Series, you can hear it coming. It crept up with the clank of Chris Taylor’s home run off a center-field roof. It slipped nearer with the bang of Andre Ethier’s home run off a right-field scoreboard. Then, finally, on a classically fall Tuesday night, it descended upon all of Wrigley Field with a shhhhh that cloaked the hardy fans as if they were strangled by ivy. It’s almost here. They’ve never been this close to the Series since they last won it in 1988. And never in their 11 ensuing postseason appearances has it felt so real. Dylan Hernandez: Andre Ethier waited six months for this, seven months, really, if you count the end of spring training. In the first at-bat of his first start of this postseason, Ethier was presented with his opportunity and didn’t miss, belting a second-inning offering from Kyle Hendricks over the ivy-covered brick wall in right field. The home run silenced the home crowd and energized the Dodgers. If these are Ethier’s final couple of weeks with the Dodgers, what a final couple of weeks they will be. GAME 4 CHICAGO 3, DODGERS 2

On the brink of history, a stumble Headline: Cubs remain alive with narrow victory Andy McCullough: Justin Turner did not make an out Wednesday. He bashed one of his team’s two home runs, a gargan-

Gina Ferazzi Los Angeles Times

ON THE 29TH anniversary of Kirk Gibson’s legendary homer in the 1988 World Series, Dodgers

third baseman Justin Turner makes history of his own with a game-winning shot in Game 2.

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They said it: “They’re not just going to roll over and hand it to us. We’ve got to go out and prepare and play hard, and hopefully get a better result tomorrow.” — Justin Turner. By the numbers: The Dodgers left nine runners on base. Bill Plaschke: Strangest night of October. Cody Bellinger took the final big swing, yet somewhere down the right-field line he stopped running, stared at the sky, and rubbed his head as if lost. Chris Taylor had the final slide, yet when he stood up at second base, he was swarmed by celebrating Chicago Cubs, leaving him dusty and outnumbered. Weirdest moment of the playoffs. The Dodgers lost. The Chicago Cubs won. Wrigley Field roared. Nobody is perfect. It was strange, but it wasn’t ominous. It was a hiccup, not a heartache. Dylan Hernandez: If someone has to win the game to deliver the Dodgers to the World Series, it might as well be Clayton Kershaw. And why shouldn’t the chance to win the franchise’s most important game in 29 years go to the player to whom it would mean the most? He is the player most associated with the Dodgers’ failure to reach the World Series in recent years. It’s only right that he pitches the game that marks a long-awaited breakthrough. GAME 5 DODGERS 11, CHICAGO 1

Drought ends in a hail of home runs

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

PITCHER Yu Darvish looks to the sky as he exits in the seventh inning of Game 3. After surren-

dering a solo homer to the second batter he faced, he did not allow another Cub to reach third base.

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ belts the first of his three home runs in the Dodgers’ pennant-clinching

Game 5 victory, an 11-1 rout. His seven RBIs set a franchise record for a postseason game. tuan blast off Cubs closer Wade Davis in the eighth inning. It was not enough. The game ended an inning later with Turner standing in the on-deck circle. By the time he returned to the dugout, the strains of “Go Cubs Go” rained down onto the field from the lungs of 42,195 fans, the theme song of a defending champion granted another day before winter. On the precipice of history, the Dodgers stumbled. Alex Wood could not contain

Cubs second baseman Javier Baez, the hitters could not solve Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta and they could not unseat Davis. For the first time this series, the absence of injured shortstop Corey Seager looked glaring. The offense stranded nine runners. Baez drilled a pair of solo home runs off Wood, who gave up three in all. Arrieta walked five and hit a batter but struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings. It was the lengthiest,

most effective outing by a starting pitcher against the Dodgers in this postseason. Davis survived a taxing eighth and induced a game-ending double play by Cody Bellinger in the ninth. The odds still reside heavily in the Dodgers’ favor. They hold a 3-1 lead. Davis needed 48 pitches to collect six outs, a workload that could limit his availability for Game 5. And the Dodgers will counter with ace Clayton Kershaw.

Headline: Dodgers party like it’s 1988 Andy McCullough: Clayton Kershaw climbed atop a plastic cooler and hoisted a green bottle of Korbel Brut. Below him heaved a delirious crowd of teammates, the 2017 Dodgers, the group who brought the National League pennant back to Los Angeles. Kershaw wiped the alcohol from his eyes and gazed upon the scene inside the visitors’ batting cage at Wrigley Field. “You are way too dry!” he shouted. “You are way too dry!” Kershaw sprayed his bottle until it was empty and then descended into the throng, joyous to take part as they celebrated clinching the franchise’s first World Series berth since 1988. A 28-season drought ended in a hail of home runs from Enrique Hernandez, strikeouts collected by Kershaw and the relentless charge of this Dodgers team. After so many years in which his organization asked him to play the savior, Kershaw reaped the benefit of an offensive bounty on Thursday. Hernandez supplied a trio of homers, including a thirdinning grand slam that transformed the ballpark into a tomb and a two-run blast in the ninth that turned the Dodgers dugout into a mosh pit. They led by seven runs after three innings and by nine midway through four. Kershaw responded to the largess with six innings of one-run baseball. He will start Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. They said it: “When you’re a little kid, you want to go play in the World Series. That’s all you ever dream about. I never thought in a million years I’d get to say that. But I’m going to play in the World Series.” — Clayton Kershaw. By the numbers: Hernandez’s three homers and seven RBIs set a Dodgers record for a postseason game. Bill Plaschke: So this is what a Dodgers World Series team looks like. A couple of dozen players are climbing on each other in a tiny concrete bunker under ancient Wrigley Field, clutching with hugs and headlocks, spraying reddened faces with champagne and beer, drinking from a glittering trophy like it was a mug. So this is what a Dodgers World Series team sounds like. The players begin chanting, not about the title, but about each other, like children in a circle on a playground, chants recognizing everyone from the stars to the scrubs, each name resounding like royalty. So this is what happens when a group of locals finally reaches baseball’s biggest stage after 28 years of wandering around its darkened back hallways. It’s cool. It’s fun. It’s soaked in relief, seeping with redemption, and awash in awe. Dylan Hernandez: Over the last three years, Andrew Friedman, the team’s once-polarizing president of baseball operations, has prioritized fortifying the margins of the 40-man roster and stockpiling depth, which hasn’t always resonated with the stardriven market where his team was based. On Thursday, however, he did something every Angeleno could applaud. He returned the Dodgers to the World Series. With his players chanting his name, Friedman stood on a small table. Streams of champagne blasted him in the face. Friedman raised his arms. This was always the vision, this was always the plan, but it wasn’t always this harmonious. — staff reports

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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

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: FACE TIME WITH PUIG

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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WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

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

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WORLD SERIES: THE FINAL WORD

Joe Kennedy Los Angeles Times

KIRK GIBSON raises his arms in celebration as he rounds the bases after hitting his famous walk-off homer off Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

LET’S PLAY IT AGAIN Dodgers’ run to the World Series reflects the power of sport in a city’s memory

DYLAN HERNANDEZ When I think about Kirk Gibson’s famous World Series home run, I don’t visualize Gibson pumping his fist or hear Vin Scully’s perfect call. I picture my father. The Dodgers’ long-awaited return to the World Series has resulted in a series of retrospective stories and columns, Bill Plaschke relaying a behinds-the scenes reconstruction of Gibson’s home run from Game 1 of the 1988 Series and me revisiting Orel Hershiser’s legendary season. The legacy of that season extends beyond that, however. It was as much about the people embracing in the stands and the celebrations that erupted in households around Southern California. Households like mine. I spent the majority of my childhood in a small house in South Pasadena. My family moved there from Echo Park when I was 5. My father was a teacher, my mother a housewife.

The television was rarely on in our house because my Japanese mother believed too much exposure to the “dummy box” would make me and my younger brother stupid. (So much for that.) My father made exceptions for sporting events, but that was of little value to 8-year-old me. I played sports but had no interest in watching them. I have no idea why I was in the living room while my father watched the ninth inning of Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, but I was there. About my father: He was very laid-back. Still is. He likes to laugh and joke, but is never vulgar, never too loud. He doesn’t drink. He has an air of dignified restraint. My perception of him changed that night — specifically the instant Gibson lauched Dennis Eckersley’s backdoor slider into the right-field pavilion. My father picked me up and jumped up and down. He squeezed me and screamed. He was always mindful of not disturbing the neighbors, but he could not have cared less at that moment. Who was this crazy person? In retrospect, that night made a huge imprint on my 8-year-old mind. It wasn’t the home run

itself. I didn’t understand the context of the victory or appreciate how improbable the moment was. It was my father’s reaction. I figured that if sports could move my father as much as it did, they had to be important. Twenty-nine years later, scenes like that will play out again all over our region, and really, this is the beauty of the Dodgers’ magical run to the World Series. Not to be overly dramatic, but lives will be changed. Hershiser said he came to a similar realization earlier this month. He has spent this October as a studio commentator on SportsNet LA’s pre- and postgame shows but didn’t work the second games of the National League division series and Championship Series. “I was out in public, a restaurant, for those games,” Hershiser said. “And I got to see the impact the team has on the public. “It’s not only the energy, it feels like you’re almost changing people’s lives, you’re changing their brain chemistry. They’re going to a happier time and a better place. It’s really amazing, the power of sports and the Dodgers.” This was a new perspective for Hershiser. “You realize it when you’re at

the parade,” he said. “You realize it when you walk into a restaurant and people give you a standing ovation. But you’re not seeing it when you’re doing it on the field. That’s the postscript, that’s the aftermath. You’re not in the middle of it. I got to be kind of in the middle of it.” For an entire generation of Angelenos, that kind of jubilation has existed only in the imagination. Their children known nothing about it, either. The championship drought has become multi-generational. The Lakers provided us with moments like this, but even they are seven years removed from their last championship. Plus, as much as the Lakers won, they never reflected the city the way the Dodgers do. The city’s demographics are represented by the Dodgers’ roster, which includes players of virtually every imaginable background. The Dodgers offer the city a reason to come together. “When I came to Los Angeles, all I knew was that it was like 450 square miles,” Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully told me several years ago. “There was no ‘there.’ I felt like Los Angeles did not have a centerpiece.” Dodger Stadium is now that

centerpiece, that place where this diverse city gathers, 50,000-plus people at a time. This was the unfortunate part of the team’s television deal with Spectrum. Yes, the $8-billion contract provided the Dodgers with the wherewithal to construct a roster capable of blowing away the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs in the NLCS. But it’s the same deal that has robbed countless fathers, mothers, sons and daughters of special moments over the last four years, costing them the opportunities to spend time on the family couch watching Clayton Kershaw and Yasiel Puig, Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen. The next five to nine days could make up for at least part of it. The city will cheer together over the results of these games — or cry, if the series unfolds as I expect and the Houston Astros win. By the end of next week, names such as Kershaw and Turner could be spoken with the same level of reverence as Hershiser and Gibson almost three decades ago. And an 8-year-old child somewhere could forever hold a memory about his father or mother. dylan.hernandez@latimes.com Twitter: @dylanohernandez

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DODGERS MOMENTS: NLCS GAME 3

Wally Skalij Los Angeles Times

THE ALL-AROUND GUY CHRIS TAYLOR has been a pleasant and unexpected surprise for the Dodgers this season, lending versatility on defense and contributing with home runs, including one (above) against the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series after hitting one in Game 1. He batted .316 in the series and was co-MVP.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2017

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