Los Angeles Dodgers advance to the World Series

You knew it was gone when it left the bat. Batting from the left side, Cody Bellinger just stood there for a second, smiled, and headed around the bases as the hard-hit ball landed in the right field seats.

It was the last of the seventh inning of a 3-3 tie in game seven of the National League Championship Series and this became the game-winner and the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers, with the best record entering this shortened Major League Baseball season, nipped the 2nd-seeded Atlanta Braves, 4-3, Sunday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers.

Which does bring LA an advantage. While the American League Championship Series was played at Petco Park in San Diego, this one was played at the site of this World Series that will begin Tuesday, and so while the Rays contingent has to make its way to the Lone Star State, the Dodgers stay where they are, familiar with the field, the surroundings, and a chance to win their first World Series since defeating the Oakland Athletics in 1988, seven years after they came from down 0-2 in games of the Classic against the New York Yankees, and won the next four.

They did play in the World Series in 2017 and lost to the Houston Astros in what was a controversary involving Houston being accused of sign-stealing and LA losing at home in game seven in a frustrating defeat. In 2008, the Dodgers lost in five games to the Boston Red Sox in the National Pastime Classic.

This time, Los Angeles dropped games one and two to Atlanta, won game three, then lost game four before moving to within 3-2 with a game six victory that brought on the deciding game before an announced turnout of 10,722 in these times of the coronavirus pandemic. Game seven was tight and nerve-racking.

The Braves scored once in the first off of righthanded starter Tony Gonsolin, a rookie, on a Marcell Ozuna single to left that scored Ronald Acuna, Jr., who had singled and took second on a wild pitch. In the second, Dansby Swanson belted a solo home run into the seats in left field and it was 2-0.

But in the last of the third with Los Angeles the home team this time, Max Muncy walked, Justin Turner singled up the middle to send Muncy to third, and both sped home on Will Smith’s two-bagger down the line in left. It stayed that way until the Braves came up in the fourth and Ossie Albies walked on a 3-2 pitch, moved up a base on a passed ball, and came around on single to center by Austin Riley. That put Atlanta up 3-2 before Kiki Hernandez’s solo 424-foot home run to left-center knotted it at 3-all.

And that was it until the Bellinger clout that was measured at 400 field, and which looked like it was shot out of a cannon. Rookie righty Ian Anderson had done well his first two innings, but then began falling behind in the count, got a little wild, and was relieved in the third frame. Atlanta had only three hits and Los Angeles stroked 10, with both teams playing errorless ball.

And while the Dodgers had their own hit parade, they also had the magical defense of right fielder Mookie Betts, who made yet another remarkable play to snatch an apparent long ball from reaching the seats with a huge leap. It appears the former Red Sox (who signed a 9-year contract) has been making these stellar plays every game.

The sparkling-new Globe Life Field was built at the expense of $1.2 billion, but the Rangers didn’t even make the playoffs.

On Saturday night, it was Tampa Bay, which had the best record in its league, cool off the 6th-seeded Houston Astros after winning the first three games before red-hot Houston won the next three to force game seven. The Rays win in this series wiped out a chance for a October rematch between the Astros and Dodgers. As for the Braves, they haven’t been to the World Series since 1999.