PSO Premium Review: MLB World Series Game 4

1. Brett Phillips came through with the best moment of his career/life

MLB World Series Game 4 was either going to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead, pretty much ending any chance the Rays have or give Tampa a 2-2 series tie, leaving it wide open in what becomes a 3-game series. LA got it down to the final out with Brett Phillips stepping up and the tying run in scoring position. Phillips needed to deliver the biggest moment of his baseball career or the Rays season would essentially be over. The mid-season acquisition had the count down to his final strike (Since 2018, Phillips has a .090 batting AVG with 2 strikes, the 2nd lowest among all players [min. 150 AB]). Of course, the Randy Arozarena “Rakes All Day Night Year” sign holder came through with his own clutch moment to keep Tampa’s season alive, the World Series as unpredictable as ever, and Dodgers fans more nervous than they’ve ever been. 

2. Dodgers biggest strength & weakness displayed in Game 4

This game had the ultimate highs and lows for both teams with a record amount of lead changes in the final three innings of a championship game. Those highs and lows were a direct culmination of the Dodgers’ main strength and glaring weakness being played out once again on the big stage. LA is the best 2-out hitting team in MLB history. They set the MLB record for most 2-out runs in a single postseason last game, and then scored ALL of their seven runs in Game 4 with two outs, proving again their championship-caliber resiliency. 

However, their biggest hole that could prevent any championship aspirations is their lack of a solidified closer. Dave Roberts made the questionable decision (among the many questionable WS decisions in his coaching career) to go with Kenley Jansen, who’s noticeably struggled in this postseason and gave up a bomb to Arozarena 24 hours beforehand. The Dodgers 2-out prowess put them in a position to win but Jansen’s sudden decline and LA’s gaping hole at the back of the bullpen ultimately cost them their best chance to take a commanding lead in this series. 

3. Underrated aspects of the Rays huge victory

Lost in the chaos that occurred in Game 4 was all the little things Tampa Bay did to win a monumental championship game. First of all, Kevin Cash made some key adjustments to his lineup, moving Arozarena up to 2nd in the lineup from 3rd, which gave him that crucial extra AB in the 9th inning to extend the inning, and also hit a bomb earlier in the game. Even Brandon Lowe came through with the biggest HR of the game after getting moved from 2nd to 5th. 

The other was Willy Adames who did it on the defensive end. On a big RBI single by Max Muncy, the Dodgers cleanup hitter tried to stretch it into a double and reached safely until Adames fell back and pulled Muncy with him. The umpire inexplicably didn’t call interference and ruled Muncy out, ending the Dodgers 2-out rally with Will Smith and Cody Bellinger on deck and a runner in scoring position. The play gets overlooked after everything that occurred, but that could’ve been a difference-maker in a game that came down to inches on multiple occasions.