Dodgers: Alex Wood Delivers in Biggest Start of Career

While it wasn’t officially the case, the Dodgers went into Game 5 somewhat with their backs against the wall with the chance to go down 3-1 in the series. But then Alex Wood came to the rescue.

Alex Wood didn’t dazzle in his first ever postseason start, and he’d been trending pretty much down since the All-Star Break. So there were definitely some nerves going around the Dodgers fans because Wood wasn’t his first-half self and he was going to a hitter’s ballpark against an offense that had started to wake up.

But what followed, no one could have guessed. He went 5.2 innings, allowing just a single hit, two walks, one run and striking out three. And that first hit didn’t come until there were two outs in the sixth, putting him in some special air within the Dodgers’ franchise:

He matched Astros’ starter pitch for pitch and engaged in an old fashion pitching duel.

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The stage couldn’t get any bigger for him. This was just his second start in the postseason, and first ever in the World Series. The fall classic is the biggest stage in baseball, so the stakes couldn’t get any bigger.

Combine that with the fact that LA’s offense has been lackluster and he was pitching with an even smaller margin for error. And pair these circumstances with the team and offense he was going against, and everything looked to be working against him. The pressure was heaping on left and right.

The one thing he had working for him is the unfamiliarity of the Astros hitters with him. “Wood is different in general—different arm angle, different mechanics—and we hadn’t seen him before or a ton,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “But it looked like he was teasing the strike zone a bit. We were a little aggressive. He pitches very well down in the zone—he threw a couple of high fastballs, but for the most part he really settles in the bottom of the zone with pitches that move.”

He soaked it all up and kept the Houston bats grounded. He did his job, and the only real blemish was the solo home run he gave up to Geroge Springer in the sixth. But the pitch was down in the zone, where Wood likes to work, and Springer, who has been resurgent in the World Series, put a good swing on it.

Next: Dodgers Turn to Clayton Kershaw

Wood did his job by keeping Los Angeles in the game. You couldn’t ask for anything more from him. He delivered on the biggest stage of his career while making history at the same time. Now the Dodgers will turn to Clayton Kershaw to give them a 3-2 series lead.