Mr. Walkoff: Ethier Does It Again

Hello to all you SoCal Sports Hub readers. I’ll be a new writer here, and I’m happy to have this opportunity. I’d also like to thank Andre Ethier for making my first article so uplifting. Ethier has become the Dodgers’ go-to guy for the walk-off win, so much so that Trevor Hoffman beans him just so he can get to Manny Ramirez.

It started off with a rematch of Saturday’s game with the Dodgers facing the Atlanta Braves, with Derek Lowe facing Randy Wolf in what was sure to be a low-scoring affair. Wolf struggled with his command, giving up nine base-hits in seven innings of work. He seemed to limit the damage to just three runs, keeping the Dodgers withing striking distance, but Chipper Jones had other plans as he drove a fastball over the right-center wall for a home run in the seventh inning. 

The boys in blue seemed poised to make a comeback, getting two on in the bottom of the seventh with only one out, but Ethier and Ramirez could not produce. LA tried again in the eighth, this time with a Casey Blake-double and a James Loney walk with nobody out. However, Russell Martin showed his inexperience with bunting, pushing the ball up the third-base line and making it easy for Adam LaRoche to get the force-out at third. Orlando Hudson and Matt Kemp could not get clutch.

The Dodgers had no easy task in the ninth, needing two runs but having to face closer Rafael Soriano, the same pitcher who shut the door on Saturday. Juan Pierre showed his speed as he crossed first-base before Jones could recover the bobbled grounder, and Rafael Furcal, the former Brave, singled to right-field, allowing Pierre to go to third.

Ethier was at the plate now. While some in the stands would have preferred Manny up in that spot, there was no denying Andre’s penchant for late-inning hits. He quickly started off 2-0 before Soriano left a fastball right over the plate. Ethier knew full well what to do with it; he immediately launched the ball over the right-field wall, consequently sending Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. His fifth walkoff hit of the season, the third home run of that variety, gave the Dodgers an incredible 5-4 win.