Dodgers: This LaMonte Wade stat proves Giants might have Devil Magic

In order to move onto the NLDS, the Los Angeles Dodgers might have to evade St. Louis Cardinals Devil Magic in the Wild Card Game, a phenomenon that is clearly alive and well based on the team’s recent winning streak.

If they overcome that challenge, they’ll have a grand total of a day or two to exhale before facing off with the San Francisco Giants, who appear to have channeled some mysticism of their own.

Every night, there’s a different hero for that ridiculous ahead-of-schedule team, led by aging former stars and near-nobodies who’ve been somebody for nearly 162 games now (so we know it’s real).

Nobody encapsulates how annoying the Giants really are more than LaMonte Wade Jr.

Who is LaMonte Wade Jr.? Oh, only a 27-year-old former ninth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2015 who was then sent to San Francisco in a Feb. 4 trade for struggling righty Shaun Anderson.

Since joining the Giants, Wade is fourth in the National League in both “Win Probability Added” (3.4) and “Championship Probability Added” (2.5), ranking behind only Bryce Harper, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Brandon Freaking Crawford in that statistic.

In essence, Wade is one of the top two reasons the Giants ran away with a playoff berth this year. Just because he can, he’s almost single-handedly been able to dispatch all four NL West competitors at various times during the season, capped off by his go-ahead hit against the Padres Tuesday night to knife the Dodgers in the side yet again.

LaMonte Wade Jr. is one of the main reasons the Giants are ahead of the Dodgers. Come on.

Yeah, that’s…that’s how you swing an entire season all by yourself. The championship metrics make total sense.

Not only has Wade been a menace in the ninth inning to every single NL West team, but he’s stung them all during the most important stretch of the season. The dog days of summer. The early fall. Wade’s wrecked the chances of the Padres, Rockies, D-Backs, and, yes, Dodgers from July 22 to present. That’s a small window to do that much damage.

Wade’s two-run single on that fateful July night was a memorable one in this extremely tight race; he was the final boss in a game the Dodgers led 3-1 in the ninth before a complete collapse ensued.

Don’t get us wrong. Wade hasn’t only been ridiculously clutch. He’s been good all year, posting 1.8 WAR, 18 homers, and a 129 OPS+. But that’s part of the whole thing. 

Why has LaMonte Wade Jr. been good all year?! Giants. Next question.

After the way the second half has played out, Wade might end up as the single most determinative piece in what’s amounted to a one-game difference in the divisional race.

In other words, Wade might send the Dodgers to a Wild Card Game showdown with the Cards and their original brand of satanic magic. Clearly, these two devils are working in tandem.

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