Revisiting a Triumphant 2017 NLCS as the Dodgers Head to Chicago

For the first time since October 19th, 2017, the Dodgers will play on the historic grounds of Wrigley Field. So, as they go fly East, we go back to a time when all that mattered was what laid ahead; the World Series.

It happened one night when an unsuspecting hero hit three home runs to launch the Dodgers past the Cubs and into the World Series. To Dodger fans, it’s a fairy tale. It’s the game that encapsulated the very epitome of who this team was in 2017. To Cubs fans, it was the bitter culmination of a rocky season defined by a World Series hangover.

So, how did it happen?

It began on a hot Sunday evening in Los Angeles. On the mound was the best guy for the job, Clayton Kershaw. He had an average outing, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits over 5 innings. He would have gotten the win had the Dodgers scored 3 runs in the bottom half of the 5th, rather than 2. In the end, it was starter turned super-reliever turned starter again, Kenta Maeda, who got the win.

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The next night would not be defined by a lack of offense, but rather the strength of that night’s starters. Jon Lester went 4 and two thirds and only gave up a single run. Rich Hill‘s performance was similar to his Chicago counterpart, going 5 strong innings, giving up only a single solo shot to Addison Russell.

The excitement came later when Justin Turner hit a walk-off home run with 2 outs in the 9th inning. It was a feat that emulated that of Kirk Gibson, who homered off of Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

The Lasorda led Dodgers would go on to win that series, and the Roberts led Dodgers would go on to win this one. To make matters far better, Turner hit his homer exactly 29 years after Gibson hit his.

Talk about history repeating itself.

After the celebrations that followed began to mellow, thoughts were redirected back to the series, and how it was headed to Chicago. In 2016, Wrigley Field is where the Dodgers lost in Game 6, and with their arrival one year later, they looked to erase their defeat. They did just that.

In Game 3, started by former Dodger, and current Cub Yu Darvish, the Dodgers scored runs in 5 of the games 9 innings, beating the Cubs 6-1. With the Cubs facing a 3-0 series deficit, they looked to Jake Arrieta to begin a potential comeback of 4 straight LCS wins, which hasn’t been done since Theo Epstein’s Red Sox in 2004.

Arrieta was able to keep the homer-happy Dodgers at bay for a game, but LA would come back the next day, lead by Kiké Hernandez‘s 3 homers and win the pennant. In that final game, the Dodgers would score more runs than the Cubs had all series.

The World Series would prove to be a whole different story, but nobody knew that yet. I don’t know about you, but I danced around my house with more confidence than I have ever had, saying the Dodgers may never lose again.

Now, as the Dodgers go back to Wrigley for the first, but maybe not the last time this year, they look to continue their success in the Friendly Confines. Though this series doesn’t carry the weight of that of a championship series, it is important in terms of the division races that both teams are in the middle of.

Next: How LA Can Beat Arizona and Win the Division

I, for one, am keeping an eye on my NL Pennant flag, remembering that series, and hoping for the best in this one

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