The Padres entered the 9th inning after a standing eight count. The weekend washed away in a sea of Dodger blue at Petco Park. The champs looked down on the upstarts and were ready to pat them on the head and leave town with their booty of a three-game sweep, ready to tell the baseball world that you might call the ballpark on the corner of Trevor Hoffman Way and Tony Gwynn Drive Petco Park, but we know this is as Dodger Stadium South when we come to town. After all, they had their All-Star closer on the mound and a one-run lead for the mighty Kenley Jansen facing Hunter Renfroe. It was a lock, until it wasn't.
Just like Thanos snapping his fingers, the crack off Hunter Renfroe's bat sent shockwaves through Dodger Nation.
For Padres fans, it was a breath of life in what could have been deja vu all over again.
It was historic in the annals of Padres baseball ...
So what does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Is it earth-shattering enough for me to try an impossible burger? Not really.
Kenley Jansen has a short memory and this isn't the first time he served up a walk-off piece ...
But around Dodger Nation, there is some self-doubt...
For the Padres, the Faithful walked away with sore throats from cheering so loudly on Sunday in the bottom of the ninth.
But what really happened this weekend at Petco Park? Yes, the Dodgers left town picking up a game on the Padres and dropped them into 3rd place in the NL West, but that is only the micro result of this weekend. The macro of this weekend is doubt and confidence. The Dodgers walk away with a bit of doubt when it comes to their dominance of the Padres. Had they won, beating the Padres bullpen on Friday and Saturday and coming back to win on Sunday, it's status quo in baseball.
But today, no one is talking about that. They are talking about Renfroe's grand slam. They are talking about two bunts to give Renfroe a chance to win it versus one of the best closers ever, who he was oh-for against in his career. The Dodgers rode home thinking of the sweep that got away, and how the Padres scratched and clawed to win this game. I will tell you this: the only thing close to the feeling in a big league clubhouse after a loss, is a funeral. No one makes eye contact, the tension is in the air, everyone is uneasy not really knowing how to deal with the grief of losing something. I know they play 162 games, and the best team loses 62 times, but it's like that each and every time they lose all season. Losing in a walk-off like that won't sting any worse than the other 62 losses the Dodgers will drop this season, but it is a wake-up call. You know the scene in Rocky when he cuts Drago's eye and for the first time, the Soviet fighter becomes mortal, breakable like the rest of us? The look on Drago's face when he sees his own blood shows for a split second he went from thinking about how he was destroying Rocky to acknowledging that Rocky might be able to destroy him. It put doubt into the algorithm for the very first time.
So here is the bottom line like Stone Cold said so ...
The Dodgers will not take the Padres for granted again this season. They will not simply show up and expect to win. They have been challenged, bloodied, and had to walk off watching the Padres' team meeting at home plate. They are the defending NL pennant winners and will not take this lying down. Do you think Max Muncy and Chris Taylor are going to go out like that, losing on two bunts and a walk-off? No way. They will be back and you better believe that they will want payback.
For the Padres and their fans, Beat LA means something, because they did.
And on Sunday, Dodger Stadium was squarely located in Chavez Ravine, and the corner of Trevor Hoffman Way and Tony Gwynn Drive belonged to the Padres.