Dodgers Clinch 2014 NL West Championship

It’s over!!! The Dodgers have done it. In front of over 53,000 screaming Dodger fans covered in blue, the club has clinched their 13th division championship in club history with a rousing 9-1 victory over the hated Giants.

Before I get to the highlights, let me just say……this….

Oh and this too…..This is what you do when you put your hands up and just don’t give a …..KERSH!

The game started out as a tense pitching battle between Kershaw and Tim Hudson. The Giants actually jumped out in front 1-0 in the third inning. Arias and Blanco singled, and a costly balk from Kershaw advanced the runners to second and third.

Giants    1 8 1

Dodgers 9 8 1

WP-Kershaw-21-3

LP-Hudson-9-13

HR-Puig-16

After an incredible behind the back snare of Hudson’s grounder, Pence’s fielder’s choice grounder to third scored Arias who was running on contact. Uribe’s throw was on time, but he slides in safe. Panik’s flare single to left sent Blanco to third, but Kershaw got Posey to ground into an inning ending double play to get out of it.

But we all knew Kershew wasn’t going to let this game get away. In the bottom of the fifth, Crawford is hit by a pitch, steals second and goes to third on an A.J. fly ball. Then Kershaw triples, yes triples!!! In Crawford to tie the game and send the crowd into a frenzy.

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

If they don’t give Kershaw the MVP this year, then they may as well stop giving out the award. All Kershaw did was toss eight innings of one run ball to pick up his 21st win. He allowed just one earned run on eight hits, and whiffed eleven. And he didn’t even have his best stuff. Yeah Clayton Kershaw, NL MVP!

The Dodger offense took things over from there. The Dodgers scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth and the Giants were never heard from again. It all started when Puig hit an 0-2 pitch into the right field Pavilions to give the Dodgers their first lead of the night. One out later, Kemp doubled, and after an intentional walk to Hanley, Crawford doubles in two. The Dodgers go up 4-1! An RBI single from Uribe gave the Dodgers a 5-1 lead, and it seemed out of reach after that.

But the Dodgers wanted to make sure. They haven’t been able to put away the Giants all year, so might as well get more insurance. So they send ten men to the plate in the bottom of the eighth and scored four more runs to take a 9-1 lead.

Of all people it is Brian Wilson who came into pitch the ninth inning to record the final three outs. Read on Lairians for the highlights……

The Giants go down 123 in the top of the first as Clayton Kershaw gets a soft loop out on Hunter Pence to begin the game. Joe Panik whiffs, and Buster Posey grounds to third. Dodgers coming up. Hudson retires the Dodgers in order in the bottom of the first as well. He does it with whiffs of Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez. No score after one.

Kershaw has another 123 inning in the second frame. He gets his second whiff on Andrew Susac. In the bottom of the second, The Dodgers came close to scoring, but don’t. Hanley singles into the hole at short and off of Arias’s glove as he tries to backhand the ball. Carl Crawford’s ground ball single find the hole into right field and the Dodgers are in business. But Juan Uribe’s inning ending double play prevents the Dodgers from scoring.

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The stupid Giants score first in the top of the third. Arias’s ground ball to the hole at short forces Hanley to make a long throw and is too late. Gregor Blanco singles to left. Tim Hudson is asked to sacrifice, but Kershaw balks, and the runners advance to second and third. Hudson eventually hits a tapper back to the mound and Kershaw makes an incredible behind the back snare to throw him out and the runners hold.

Pence grounds to third, and Uribe throws home to cut down Arias at the plate, but he beats the throw by sliding in feet first. The Giants take a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers don’t replay. Then a flare single from Panik loads the bases. But Kershaw gets Posey to ground into an inning ending double play. The Dodgers escape further damage.

The Dodgers get a runner to second in the bottom of the third, but are still unable to score. A.J. Ellis walks and Kershaw sacrifices him to second. But Posey robs Gordon of a double with a fine play at first, and Puig grounds to short.

Kershaw gets through the top of the fourth, picking up whiffs on Susac and Dominguez to give him four. Dodgers still trail 1-0. In the bottom of the fourth, the Dodgers do nothing, and are retired in order. They have only two hits through four innings.

Kershaw blows the Giants away in the top of the fifth, with whiffs of Blanco and Pence. In the bottom of the fifth, The Dodgers tie it up. Crawford is hit by a pitch, and steals second. Uribe’s fly ball to right allows Crawford to tag to third. But A.J. fails to score him with a pop out. Kershaw then has to take matters into his own hands. The ace triples into center field, as the ball rolls to the wall, finding a hole in the San Francisco defense. Tie game!!! Gordon whiffs though, and the Giants get out of the inning.

In the top of the sixth, Kershaw gets Panik to line out to Crawford. He whiffs Posey for the second. But Sandoval singles off of Gordon’s glove. Then Susac  singles up the middle. After a wild pitch moves the runners to second and third, Kersh gets Dominguez to ground back to the box. The Dodgers are out of it, but Kersh’s pitch count is up to 93.

HAHAHAHAA-Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers bust out in the bottom of the sixth. With two strikes on him, Puig homers into the right field pavilions to put the Dodgers ahead 2-1. After Gonzo flies out to right, Kemp doubles to the gap. The Giants hook Hudson and bring in left hander Javier Lopez to pitch to Hanley. But the Giants decide to intentionally walk Hanley and take their chances with Crawford.

Crawford comes through with a double into the right field corner to score two! The Dodgers go up 4-1! Then Uribe singles in Crawford! The Dodgers are up 5-1!

In the top of the seventh, Kershaw whiffs Arias for the first out. Blanco singles to center. Pinch-hitter Matt Duffy’s broken-bat single to center could have really put the Dodgers in a jam, but Puig makes another cannon throw to third to nail Blanco. Foolish Giants! When will you learn not to run on Puig! Jeremy Affeldt retires the Dodgers in the bottom of the seventh.

With Pence at the plate, Kershaw makes an errant pick-off throw, but Pence whiffs, as A.J. has to run to record the out at home with a late throw. The Dodgers are six outs away from the division championship!

In the top of eighth, Kershaw whiffs Panik. Posey flies out to Puig. Kershaw whiffs Sandoval for his eleventh whiff and walks off the field to a round of MVP chants. The Dodgers are now just three outs away! In the bottom of the eighth, right hander Erik Cordier replaces Affeldt in the eighth frame. Gonzo walks. Kemp whiffs. Miguel Rojas in as a defensive replacement for Hanley hits into a taylor made double play ball, but Arias boots it and everyone is safe. Then Crawford is hit by a pitch again for the second time in the game to load the bases.

Uribe singles through the hole to bring in two and the Dodgers lead 7-1! Then another run scores on a force out grounder from A.J. Ellis to make the score 8-1. Three walks later the Dodgers have a 9-1 lead and it’s all but over.

Brian Wilson comes in for the top of the ninth to put a bow on this division title. Susac doubles, but Dominguez grounds to Rojas. Arias flies to right. The last is a diving stop by Darwin Barney on a Blanco grounder. That’s it! The Dodgers are 2014 NL West Champions!!!

The Dodgers are now 91-68, and we can finally start celebrating. I guess I owe my friend Lisa from wine 661 some warm nuts. You see I promised to post a picture of some warm nuts, one of my favorite bar snacks when the Dodgers won the division. Well here you go Lisa…I am a man of my word….

Now the real fun begins! Buckle up Dodger fam, it’s going to be a crazy ride. Let’s do this!!!! Bluetober returns again!!!!