Dodgers: Ranking the best NLDS moments in Dodger history
By Jamaal Artis
2. Juan Uribe can’t bunt…doesn’t matter – 2013 NLDS
In 2013, facing a 3-2 deficit to the Atlanta Braves, the Dodgers were in jeopardy having to win a game five on the road in Atlanta. In jeopardy of wasting a strong effort by Clayton Kershaw who started on three days rest the Dodgers came up in the bottom of the eighth trying to tie the game.
Rookie Yasiel Puig gave the team a fighting chance when he hit a double to start off the Dodgers turn. With a runner in scoring position and the Braves closer Craig Kimbrel in the bullpen ready to end the threat, Dodgers manager sent Juan Uribe up to bunt Puig over to third. After two failed bunt attempts Uribe fouled off tough pitches from David Carpenter.
Carpenter threw a hanging slider that Uribe rocketed into the Dodgers bullpen for stunning two-run home run put the Dodgers into the lead 4-3, sending Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. With the lead Kenley Jansen closed out the Braves in the ninth clinching the series win turning Uribe into a beloved Dodgers hero.
Los Angeles went on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 NLCS, sparking a postseason rivalry that would span over two seasons. The Dodgers dropped the NLCS four games to two and held a 3-7 combined record against the Redbirds over the two seasons. Luckily for LA, the Cardinals missed out on their second straight postseason this year.