Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Gee, the Dodgers haven’t lost a World Series game this badly since…. let’s see, do the archives go back that far? Oh yes, here it is: Since Game 4 of last year’s World Series, which they lost, 11-4.
Musings while Game 1 was happening:
Pre-game
—Pharrell Williams and the Voices of Fire provided the pregame entertainment. Apparently, Anne Murray was unavailable.
—Cito Gaston threw out the first pitch. Apparently Garth Iorg and Rance Mulliniks were unavailable.
—Joe Davis and John Smoltz are the game announcers. They are good. Coincidentally, the Dodgers’ announcer is also named Joe Davis. I wonder if they are related.
—Is it really necessary to have a long hype video for the World Series? I mean, we’re already tuned in and watching. Who is this for?
First inning
—The Toronto crowd is LOUD. Good for them.
—Toronto starter Trey Yesavage is the second-youngest World Series Game 1 starter ever, trailing only Ralph Branca. He doesn’t seem nervous.
—The Dodgers went down quietly in the top half. They need to do the same to Toronto in the bottom half to keep the crowd under control.
—Blake Snell doesn’t have the command he has had this postseason. Is it because of the long layoff? Just amped up?
—George Springer leads off. Is that a trash can I hear?
—And the Blue Jays did not go quietly, but at least they didn’t score.
—The Blue Jays are like the Dodgers in that they take a lot of pitches, which is bad for the Dodgers. It’s going to be a lot harder for the starters to pitch into the seventh, eighth or ninth inning, meaning more exposure for the weaker elements of the bullpen.
Second inning
—Can some scientists get together and study how Kiké Hernández becomes so much better in the postseason? Perhaps reduce it to a serum we can all take before pressure situations.
—Bases loaded and one out and the Dodgers don’t add any runs. That could come back to bite them.
—The Blue Jays are letting Snell lock in, unable to take advantage of his early shakiness.
—Where were the middle infielders when Freddie Freeman was looking to throw the ball there for a force? And Snell had great presence to whirl and throw to third. A lot of pitchers would have been upset they missed the bag at first.
Third inning
—Yesavage lost his fastball and suddenly seems a lot more nervous.
—A rare baseunning error by Freeman.
—The Dodgers have four hits and three walks but only two runs. That could be important later.
—Yasavage has thrown 71 pitches in three innings. That’s a lot.
—Davis Schneider looks like he should be working at Jiffy Lube.
Fourth inning
—The Dodgers chased pitches this inning, going away from what makes the so successful on offense. As a result, Yesavage felt no pressure and could even go one more inning.
—OK, maybe Snell wasn’t quite as locked in as I imagined. Daulton Varsho smoked that ball for a two-run homer.
—Do you know how many homers Snell had given up to a left-hander this season? Counting Varsho’s, one.
Fifth inning
—The Blue Jays take Yesavage out after four innings.
—Nature called and I missed Fluharty’s entire appearance!
—I once got an angry email from a ready who was upset the Joe Davis always says “We are halfway home” after the top of the fifth inning, because that’s not right, saying it was after the bottom of the fifth. The person was irate! But Davis is right.
—Why are ads featuring baseball players the most boring ads in the world? They haven’t had a good campaign since “Chicks Dig the Long Ball!” It’s as if all the people who come up with these ads hate baseball.
—Freeman is the best Dodgers first baseman at digging balls out of the dirt since Steve Garvey.
—The Capital One school career day ad with Derek Jeter and Karen Nyberg is great. I mean, it’s no Limu Emu (and Doug), but it’s great.
Sixth inning
—Seranthony Dominguez has the best first name in baseball.
—The split-screen ad during the game? Not a fan.
—Seranthony seemed a bit fired up out there.
—A walk to Bo Bichette. Snell is not long for this game. I’m surprised they wanted until now to have someone warm up. I would have had someone up when the inning started.
—Bases loaded, nobody out. Game changing moment. And Emmet Sheehan will be on the mound.
—And the wheels are coming off.
—I do believe the Dodgers are going to lose this game. Time to get in players who may not ever get a chance to play in a World Series again.
—I think the Dodgers postseason ERA is going to go up a bit.
Seventh inning
—Ohtani rounded the bases faster than Mickey Hatcher on that home run, almost as if he was saying “We’re still down by seven, let’s not get carried away here.”
—Justin Wrobleski is the answer!
Eighth inning
—Remember, the Dodgers lost Game 4 of last season’s World Series 11-4 and everything seemed to work out OK. They lost Game 1 of the 1959 World Series 11-0 and everything worked out OK there. Some athletes will tell you it’s easier to shake off a rout than it is losing a close game, because you can’t really say “If only I had done this….”
—For those of you who remember an earlier newsletter this postseason….. Mason and Hannah weren’t able to watch this game, so the loss is entirely their fault.
Ninth inning
—Is the game still going on? My mind is wandering, and it’s too little to be out by itself.
—The Dodgers had multiple chances to put more runs on the board early in the game and didn’t do it. You have to capitalize on almost every opportunity in the World Series.
—Being picked off first would have been an appropriate way to end that game.
—All you can do is shake this game off and come out strong tomorrow. It’s only one game. I have a feeling Yoshinobu Yamamoto is going to be very sharp in Game 2.
—My prediction remains, Dodgers in five.
—More importanly, we wish Alex Vesia and his wife the best as they go through a trying time.
In case you missed it
Plaschke: After Dodgers’ disastrous World Series Game 1 loss, doubt has crept in
‘Guys kind of felt the velocity a little bit more.’ Was rust a factor in Dodgers’ loss?
Dodgers will keep Alex Vesia off World Series roster: ‘So much bigger than baseball’
Meet Baby Shohei? These parents named their kids after Dodgers players
25 Dodgers food and drink specials for the World Series
Where to watch the World Series near Dodger Stadium
Hernández: MLB needs Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player. Game 4 of the 2025 NLCS was a reminder
And finally
“Highlights” from Game 1 of the World Series. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
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