When purchasing tickets to the Dodgers’ matchup with the Twins scheduled for Monday, May 15, Dorina and I resolved to leave Orange County very early. With a Mookie Betts bobblehead on the line and two first place teams ready to battle, you can’t be too careful. This turned out to be an excellent plan, because arrival at the stadium was relatively quick. That allowed plenty of time to grab Dodger Dogs and watch Minnesota take batting practice from much better seats than our own.
As it turns out, the stadium hot dogs are so iconic that souvenirs are sold in their honor. I also noticed shirts featuring a design by famed artist Mister Cartoon, who has used his skills to create some Topps baseball cards in the past. Feeling prepared for first pitch, we ascended to the Reserve level and watched Dodgers starter Noah Syndergaard warm up.
Betts caught a ceremonial first pitch from his mother, then the Twins went down in order as the game got underway. Carlos Correa received plenty of boos and chants of “cheater” from the crowd who remembered his days with the Astros before striking out. After Betts grounded out in the leadoff spot against Pablo López, Freddie Freeman singled. Elite catcher Will Smith followed with a home run, and Max Muncy made it back-to-back blasts to cement a 3-0 lead for Los Angeles.
Syndergaard had a less successful second inning. Jorge Polanco singled, stole second base, and ran home on a hit by one-time Dodger Kyle Farmer. The score remained 3-1 until the third when Smith singled and Muncy homered again for his 14th round-tripper of the season. Polanco answered with a solo shot in the fourth, which would end up being Syndergaard’s final frame.
Despite my Yankees hat, I did wear a World Baseball Classic shirt with Betts’ number 50 on the back. We ended up following our hot dogs with Hawaiian themed fare. Meanwhile, the Twins scored on a Caleb Ferguson wild pitch in the seventh, but Freeman responded with a double to score Betts and restore a three-run lead for the Dodgers.
Perhaps the nicest moment of the game took place when former Dodger starting pitcher Kenta Maeda was honored. Maeda may pitch for Minnesota now, but he clearly was touched by the reception. The video board even played an old clip of Maeda touching random objects hidden in a box and reacting outrageously.
Just when fans were starting to get comfortable, the game became a roller coaster worthy of an Ozzy Osbourne song. Yency Almonte began the eighth by surrendering a single to Byron Buxton, then Polanco smacked a double. The coup de grâce was a Trevor Larnach round tripper that tied the game at six. Los Angeles went ahead 7-6 when David Peralta hit a controversial RBI double that appeared to go foul. However, Evan Phillips gave the run back in the ninth. Correa walked and Buxton ripped an RBI double, causing several gamblers in the crowd to cheer. Seriously, I heard all about what parlays people were hoping to cash in on before the night was through.
Extra innings proved to be wacky. Phil Bickford walked in a run but managed to retire the next three batters in the 10th. In the bottom of the inning, J.D. Martinez represented my fantasy team well by whacking a run-scoring single. That cashed in the Dodgers’ automatic runner at second base in the person of Smith and sent us to an uneventful 11th stanza. Minnesota blew a chance to get the runner over in the 12th when Willi Castro popped out attempting to bunt and the Twins were ultimately stymied.
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli opted to put Freeman and Muncy on base intentionally, which was an understandable strategy. However, with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th, Jorge López walked a struggling Trayce Thompson on a 3-2 count. Against all odds, the Dodgers emerged with a 9-8 victory and Randy Newman’s voice emanated from the stadium speakers. By the time the final pitch sailed up and in, many fans had already departed which made our exit from Chavez Ravine rather smooth. The contest lasted nearly four hours, but it could have been even longer without the recently implemented pitch clock.