Blog Kiosk: 5/25/2016 - Dodgers Links - That Strange Game

Last nights game was a mixed bag.

It started out with a fantastic ceremony in honor of the men and women in the armed forces, and included an enlistment ceremony for all four branches.  The photo above, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016, features the ceremony.

Then Mike Bolsinger came in to start his second game of the year and was fantastic.  He went 5.2 innings and gave up three hits, two earned runs and recorded six strike outs to win his first game of the season.  During the game, though, a bunch of weird things happened.  In the sixth inning Yasiel Puig came up to bat with two men on and rocketed a deep fly to right field.  In fact, it was so deep he thought he hit a homer, so instead of running hard out of the box he stood and admired it.  When the ball fell short of the wall he traipsed onto first base instead of the base he should have ended up at.    For his transgression he was benched for the rest of the game. Via Chad Thornburg at MLB.com:

"In my opinion, he should have been on second base," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "When we talk about playing the game the right way, we've got to be accountable. So that was the decision that I made."

BTW, that was a great call by Dave Roberts.  Listen to him talk about it briefly towards the end of this video (video link).  Via Dan Arritt at ESPN:

"I thought it was a home run, and then I didn't run out the ball, obviously," Puig said through an interpreter. "It was [Roberts'] decision to take me out of the game. It was a decision well made, because all my teammates are out on the field working hard, and I should have run out that ball."

(pic via Cespedes BBQ on twitter)

Then in the seventh inning something funny and strange happened.  A paper airplane landed on the infield with the Dodgers at bat, so the resident "no-fun" ballplayer Joey Votto let everyone know what he thought of that.  He stomped on it like an insolent child.  You can watch a gif of it here.  Obviously, Dodger fans booed him.  Then something incredible happened.  They started chanting "airplane stomper."  I kid you not!

I hope quirky chants like this become a tradition at games.  Heck, maybe decades from now fans will still chant this at the Reds... Just for fun.  It'll be like NY Rangers fans who still chant "Potvin Sucks" nearly 30 years after his terrible check against an Islanders player.

Oh... The Dodgers offense came alive and scored eight runs to win their third straight game.  Go here to check out a bunch of great photos from Jon SooHoo from the game.  Below are more links to check:

• This Day in Dodgers History:  In 2002 Diamondbacks starter Randy Johnson struck out Shawn Green to record his 3,509th career strike out to surpass Hall of Famer Walter Johnson on the all time list.  BTW, Green also hit two homers in the game to become the first Major Leaguer to hit seven round-trippers in three consecutive games.  In 2014 Josh Beckett threw his only career no-hitter against the Phillies.  Watch highlights from the game here.
  

Deja Vu! Kershaw gets Fourth Topps Now Card - It Looks Just Like his First One

When Clayton Kershaw does something magnificent on the mound you want to release a Topps Now card featuring him pitching.

I get it.  That makes perfect sense.

But come on now!  Can't we find a more unique photo?

This newest card is basically a carbon copy of his very first 2016 Topps Now card that was issued in early May.  Take a look at that card on the right (original post link).

The new card, featured above and below, uses the exact same pose.  In fact, the only difference is that the latter card is from a day game, and this new card is a night game - which I assume Night Owl Cards would appreciate.

Blog Kiosk: 5/24/2016 - Dodgers Links - Urias, Calhoun and Clayton Kershaw

This is a tradition that I'm sure many are going to miss.  Featured above, via a pic by Jon SooHoo, are the umpires from last nights game tipping their caps to the Vin Scully.

For years umpires from throughout the league have honored the man behind the mic with this symbolic gesture before the start of a game, and it'll be strange to not see this ritual once he's gone.

As for the game... Well, Clayton Kershaw is the best.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"It speaks to Clayton. He knows where we're at, where our bullpen is at, how taxed they've been," said A.J. Ellis, who caught all 17 innings Sunday and was back in there Monday with Yasmani Grandal nursing a bruised foot. "For Clayton to meet that challenge and expectations every night, it seems like every time he's pitching it's coming off a tired bullpen. What he's done so far, giving those guys a blow, you should have seen the reception he got coming in from those guys. Expectations are off the charts, they seem unmeetable and he keeps meeting them. His consistency is mindblowing. Our expectations are unfair, what we expect him to do. Yet, he meets them.

"We all know how fortunate we are. I hope all of baseball realizes what they're watching right now. I know Los Angeles, with the ovation he gets going out there for the ninth inning, appreciates his work and completing his job. We don't take it for granted. We see what he puts into it. We are in awe with the consistency, and it's fair to say we all raise our game on the day he pitches."

Dodgers defeated the Reds 1-0.  The only run in the game scored on a double-play ball in the sixth inning.  Go here to check out some pics from the game via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016.  Below are more links to check:

• This Day in Dodgers History:  In 1973 Willie Davis recorded six hits in an 19 inning loss to the Mets.  BTW, both teams established a NL record for hitting into an combined nine double plays.
• Happy Birthday, Brad Penny!

Welcome Back to the Blue, Mike Bolsinger and Luis Avilan!

The Dodgers shuffle both the starting rotation and relief staff this afternoon.  They have recalled right-handed starting pitcher Mike Bolsinger and left-handed reliever Luis Avilan.  They replace right-handed starter Ross Stripling, who has been optioned to AAA-Oklahoma City, and right-handed reliever Chin-Hui Tsao, who has been placed on the 15-Day DL with a right triceps strain. 

Blog Kiosk: 5/23/2016 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

In honor of his 128th birthday, check out the above vintage image of Brooklyn Hall of Famer Zach Wheat in a spiffy 1916 home white "checkerboard-style" Dodgers uniform.  He was born on this day in 1888.  Photo above via the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ggbain-22484.

Below are more links to check:

• This Day in Dodgers History:  In 1895 the Louisville Colonels forfeited a game against the Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Dodgers due to not having enough Baseballs on hand for the game.   In 1981 Ron Cey hit his 200th career home run against the Reds.  In 2002 Shawn Green becomes the 14th player in history to hit four home runs in one game.  It would happen against the Brewers in Milwaukee, and he would record 19 total bases (a new record at the time).  Watch every at-bat here.
• Happy Birthday, Zach Wheat and Augie Galan!

Reds Series Starts on Monday - Pregame Info and Other Stuff!

(pic via @DodgersDining on twitter)

The next homestand starts on Monday evening against the Cincinnati Reds.  Below are the scheduled autograph opportunities and other odds and ends for this upcoming homestand.

The Cincinnati Dog will be available for this homestand only against the Reds at the Extreme Loaded Dog concession areas located on the field, loge and reserve levels. It features a quarter-pound, all-beef hot dog topped with Cincinnati chili, diced onion, cheddar cheese and oyster crackers.

The fourth 2016 issue of the new Dodger Insider magazine, featuring Chase Utley on the cover, will be available at Dodger Stadium.  (see it on the left.  The Dodgers merged their previously separate Playbill and Dodger Insider magazines into one publication (at least 80 pages per issue) with a new edition available each homestand.  They are distributed at auto gates (one per vehicle) and via Fan Services for those who use alternate transportation.

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Monday, May 23rd at 7:10 PM
SNLA / AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)