On Friday night, in San Francisco, Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants began.
The Giants finished with 107 victories, one more than the Dodgers, and therefore claimed the NL West division title. The Dodgers entered the series as heavy favourites, with most observers favouring them because of their superior talent. However, the Giants got on the board first with a 4-0 triumph.
Take a look at these key points from the first game.
Jewel by Webb
The National League Cy Young Award will belong to Walker Buehler, who is projected to place in the top four. He has a shot of winning it. As a result, the Dodgers entered Game 1 as small favourites at the betting tables. Although Buehler (6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) was impressive, Logan Webb was the night’s most outstanding pitcher.
Buehler allowed only two home runs against the team that led the league in home runs and faced no trouble between the first and sixth innings.
As far as I could tell, Webb stocked this place to the brim. Unfortunately, he was unable to hit any bats. He induced grounders, which allowed his defence to contribute.
There were moments when the Giants righty was only able to get a light swing from his batters. Successfulness was not a problem for him. Webb absolutely checked every box that could be checked.
Webb threw 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball, striking out 10 batters while walking none. He relied primarily on his changeup and slider off-speed combo, supplementing it with sinkers and the occasional four-seam fastball.
Though he gave up five hits, he only allowed two fly balls while getting twelve grounders. Several well-hit balls were put into play, but his defence was able to easily snare them off the ground.
Webb threw only 92 pitches over his 7 2/3 innings of work. Twenty-one swings and misses plus seven fouls were his result.
Posey is Given the Go-Ahead
Nearly half of the game’s runs were scored in the bottom of the first inning. The Giants’ leadoff man, Tommy La Stella, reached on an infield walk, giving the team a runner in scoring position. There was a 3-0 count as Buehler tried to sneak a fastball by Giants legend Buster Posey, but Posey hit it out of the park.
Posey, who had only 12 home runs between 2018 and 2019, and then opted out of 2020, had a power revival this year, hitting 18 home runs and posting the third-best slugging percentage of his career, behind only his Rookie of the Year and MVP campaigns. He now has five career postseason home runs.
In the eighth inning, Kris Bryant hit a home run to put the Giants up by two. It was his first home run for the Giants and the seventh of his postseason career. In the ninth inning, Brandon Crawford hit a solo home run, giving him two for the playoffs.
Protection from the Giants as a Unit
When it comes to defensive efficiency (the percentage of balls put in play that result in outs), the Giants were the sixth-best team in baseball this year. It’s a smart tactic for team defence because it takes into account things like placement, range, and, you know, not dropping the ball.
Although the Giants’ defence struggled early on, they recovered magnificently. This particular gem comes from La Stella and still-underappreciated defensive shortstop Crawford.
