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5.5c-3.1-3.7-4.6-7.6-4.6-11.7c-0.1-4%2C1.3-7.5%2C4.3-10.7%0A%09%09%09c3-3.2%2C6.8-4.7%2C11.4-4.7c5.8%2C0%2C11.5%2C0.8%2C17.3%2C2.5V127z%22%2F%3E%0A%09%09%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22st2%22%20points%3D%22980.9%2C49.7%20955.6%2C120.2%20929.3%2C49.7%20906.7%2C49.7%20943.6%2C150.3%20924.4%2C199.8%20947.5%2C199.8%201004.4%2C49.7%20%09%09%0A%09%09%09%22%2F%3E%0A%09%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fg%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
The Dodgers' Game 1 performance against the Arizona Diamondbacks was a cacophony of errors from Clayton Kershaw's very first pitch. Unfortunately, that negative slate might've also included errors in judgment.
Los Angeles' undermanned roster has been in attack mode ever since their premature elimination from the 2022 MLB playoffs at the hands of the San Diego Padres. Veterans David Peralta and Miguel Rojas have been a major force behind instilling a new mentality, teaching LA's staid clubhouse not to treat things so seriously and passing out tequila after every series victory, placing additional import on taking care of every touchstone in a marathon season.
Unfortunately, not everyone is destined to take kindly to any relaxing of MLB's long-held norms. Peralta, somewhat robotically, went through one of his regular-season norms on Saturday evening, which didn't look fantastic to outsiders in the context of the Dodgers' current predicament.
Start a rally? Dance at second. Show your teammates the line is moving. Double down 9-0 in the second? Ex-Brewers pitcher Seth McClung didn't love that, and let his voice be heard on Twitter in the wake of the Dodgers' defeat. He probably wasn't the only one.
Look, I’m all for having fun but timing is everything.
— Seth McClung (@Seth_3773) October 8, 2023
My rule is have fun and most celebrations that involve your teammates are fine but if you’re getting your ass kicked you better be showing raw emotion and fight.
I want emotional celebrations/outburst.
I want a hell… pic.twitter.com/tWcMUIbrMt
MLB Playoffs: Dodgers David Peralta does solo dance at second base in NLDS vs Diamondbacks
On the one hand, this gesture was clearly meant to evoke a sense of normalcy. It was just a little reminder of, "Hey, this is the game's biggest stage, and things are not going well, but this is what we do. We get hits. We keep the line moving. And in two days, we'll be right back after it." This team will be "doing the Freddie" in any terrain.
On the other hand ... yeah, it doesn't take much mental detective work to figure out why old-school objective observers wouldn't love this. The Diamondbacks probably didn't either, if they even noticed mid-barrage.
The Dodgers received the unexpected gift of an additional off day, thanks to this season's odd NLDS schedule. Both LA and the powerhouse Atlanta Braves will look to shake off 1-0 series holes on Monday evening, and will attempt to do so by taking deep breaths and repeating what worked in the regular season. That might include a little friendly showboating, something the aggrieved rest of baseball is going to have to accept.
Hopefully, though, for the sake of the Dodgers' reputation, the scoreboard isn't quite so lopsided.