World Series Diary: Rooting for the Dodgers as an SF Giants Fan

World Series Diaries: Rooting for the Dodgers as an SF Giants fan
Part 2

Alright, Clayton, I’m pretty much here for you. You’ve never let me down before when I’ve been an SF Giants fan. Hopefully, you can keep doing that.

*Paints the bottom of the zone for strike two against Yandy Diaz*

That curveball is beautiful.

*Diaz singles up the middle on the next pitch*

Uh oh.

I forgot I have to root against Arozarena now ?

*Arozarena fouls a ball down the left-field line that’s a few feet foul and a few feet from going over the wall*

Holy crap, that made me nervous. I don’t know how to project this small-sample absurdity into a full season, but Arozarena is really good.

*6-4-3 double-play*

I know it’s early, but that feels like the kind of turning point that could be the last “rally” for awhile. They had a baserunner and their best hitter of the postseason up. He fights off Kershaw’s best pitches and nearly pulls an extra-base hit inside the foul pole. Then hits into a double play. It just seems like a lot of tension just got released. (As I typed that, Lowe popped out on the first pitch)

*Joc Pederson blasts a solo home run to the center field*

I’m not overly excited or cheering. It obviously helps, but this game is still early, and I don’t know how the Dodgers get the last nine outs if Kershaw doesn’t do it. Pederson yells, “They don’t want this smoke!” as he returns to the dugout and I nod contently and ponder whether I could see him in a Giants uniform next year.

This has nothing to do with the game, but it says something about the league’s viewership that someone said an AutoZone/DieHard crossover commercial was the play.

*Margot gets a bunt single to lead-off the inning*

Welp. So much for Kershaw shutting it down from here.

*Joey Wendle is called out on a curveball plenty of inches above the strike zone*

LOL If they’re going to call those, keep throwing ’em there.

Every time Muncy hammers a ball I imagine him yelling at the pitcher, “Go get that out of *wherever he hit the ball.*”

Wait

I terribly miscalculated.

Joe Kelly is a Dodger.

*long extended sigh*

Kershaw looks really good. He’s getting to two-strike counts quickly and isn’t allowing any hard contact. But that makes me nervous. Feels like he’ll get dinked and then give up his first hard contact on a multi-run homer.

*Joe Buck reminds me what Kershaw’s reputation could be if the Dodgers had won the infamous 2017 World Series against the Astros*

I’m not a Dodgers fan, but it still infuriates me. It’s easy for a lot of Giants fans to scoff at it. Our team is 3-0 in the World Series in recent years. But imagine in 2005 finding out that Steve Finley knew what pitch was coming from Matt Herges in 2004? Or that the Angels knew the Giants signals in the 2002 World Series?

There are enough “what-ifs” every season, but at least there is the reality of the result. Without that, it’s just an endless spiral.