Daily Clips

September 27, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 LA TIMES: When Muhammad Ali first heard Vin Scully...-Lance Pugmire DODGERS.COM: Get ready for October with LA's postseason preview-Adrian Garro OC REGISTER: Dodgers' clubhouse chemistry blurred lines between rookies and veterans, holdovers and newcomers-JP Hoornstra Vin Scully's final Dodgers broadcast will be 9-inning simulcast-Tom Hoffarth On deck: Dodgers at Padres, Tuesday, 7 p.m. -JP Hoornstra DODGER INSIDER: Dodger farm system became a production company in 2016-Cary Osborne AM 570 to simulcast Vin Scully’s entire final broadcast-Jon Weisman Dodgers face difficult task trimming roster for playoffs-Jon Weisman TRUEBLUELA.COM: Dodgers within 1 game of Nationals for NLDS home field advantage-Eric Stephen Dodgers to simulcast Vin Scully’s final broadcast on radio-Eric Stephen The 2016 Dodgers at home-Eric Stephen Dodgers Week 25: Closing out the division at home-Eric Stephen ESPN LA: Jaime Jarrin delivers heartfelt tribute to Vin Scully-One Nacion SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: The new Nasty Boys? Dodgers' bullpen among those that could be October surprise-Tom Verducci FORBES: Credit Dave Roberts For Dodgers Success-Howard Cole FANGRAPHS: We Have a Pop-Up Controversy-Jeff Sullivan Clayton Kershaw Experimented On the Rockies-Jeff Sullivan INSIDE SOCAL: Vin Scully memories from the media: Brent Shyer-Tom Hoffarth Vin Scully memories from the media: John Olguin-Tom Hoffarth Vin Scully memories from the media: Steve Brener-Tom Hoffarth SF GATE: A’s broadcaster Ken Korach had a blast at Vin Scully ceremony game-Susan Slusser TAMPA BAY TIMES: Jon Miller on Vin Scully: 'He was the favorite Dodger of all time'-Martin Fennelly

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

LA TIMES

When Muhammad Ali first heard Vin Scully... By Lance Pugmire Muhammad Ali stared down curiously from the boxing ring at the famed Main Street Gym in downtown Los Angeles, asking the man with the device pressed to his ear, “What you got there?” It was April 1962, only a few days after the opening of Dodger Stadium and just a few days before Ali was to stage the first of his three bouts that year at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Ali, then 20, had never before seen anything like the red Zenith transistor radio that then-frozen food salesman Bill Caplan was holding. Simultaneously watching the greatest boxer in history train while listening to the best sports broadcaster ever, Caplan, who’s now a Hall of Fame boxing publicist, told Ali, “It’s a transistor radio.” Ali was stunned. He’d only previously seen larger, more cumbersome radios, not this transistor that was slightly larger than a cigarette pack. “Radio? What are you listening to?” Ali asked Caplan. “I’m listening to the Dodgers and Vin Scully,” said Caplan, a lifelong fan of the team. “Can I see that?” Ali asked. “I handed the radio to him with Vinny’s voice calling the action,” said Caplan, and Ali listened to Scully, expressing excitement about the clarity of the signal even if his interest in the game seemed passing. “Does it play music too?” Ali wondered. “Sure,” Caplan said, pointing him to the AM radio dial. “Go ahead and find some music.” It was unclear who was more impressed that day, Caplan or Ali. Caplan was maybe the only regular Joe in the Main Street Gym that day. He’d learned through word of mouth that Ali was at the gym and found a way in on the coattails of his brother-in-law, Larry Rummans, a matchmaker/cornerman/jack-of-all-trades who’d allowed Caplan to tag along and learn more about boxing at meetings like post-fight meals at the Brown Derby. “I paid more attention to boxing than my job,” Caplan admitted.

Watching Ali, then two years removed from his boxing gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rome, was a revelation. “What impressed me so much about Ali was that he was moving backward faster than what most guys can run forward,” Caplan said. “Those legs were unbelievable. It was something I had never seen before. He was a big — 6-foot-3 — heavyweight, real big in those days compared to [Rocky] Marciano and [Floyd] Patterson. But he could move incredibly.” Yet, Ali was in awe of Caplan’s possession, telling the gym visitor, “I’ve got a wire recorder in my hotel room. Could you come to my hotel room with me and see if I can record this music on my wire recorder?” Caplan responded, “Sure,” waiting for Ali to shower and dress at the gym, then handing off the radio with the Dodger game’s outcome in limbo as they walked from the upstairs gym at 218½ Main Street to Ali’s Alexandria Hotel suite at 5th and Spring. “I lost my ballgame, but it was an intriguing toy to him. I was OK with that. He was Ali,” Caplan said. Ali gathered his wire recorder from his bedroom, found a strong, clear station on the radio playing rock ’n’ roll and recorded about two minutes of music. “He replayed it, the music came out loud and clear and he was thrilled to pieces,” Caplan said. “I’m going to get me one of those!” Ali told Caplan. Ali then asked Caplan why he was at the gym. “I’m a salesman, but I want to get into publicity,” said Caplan, whose first publicist’s job ended up being for his boyhood hero, former heavyweight champion Joe Louis. “Oh, you want to be a boxing publicist?” Ali asked, proceeding to bring out a huge scrapbook that Caplan said was about “eight inches thick and as big as a coffee table.” “I’ll show you about publicity,” said Ali, displaying stories on him from Sports Illustrated and Sport Magazine covers, along with the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. Said Caplan: “It was overwhelming that he had that many clippings so early in his career.” Days later, on April 23, 1962, Ali scored a fourth-round technical knockout victory over Idaho’s George Logan en route to becoming a three-time heavyweight champion and the most iconic athlete of the 20th century. Ali and Caplan would cross paths throughout the years, including Caplan’s work with George Foreman for the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” against Ali.

Caplan’s been transfixed by the weekend happenings with Scully, who was honored at a powerful farewell ceremony Friday at Dodger Stadium, then broadcast his final home game Sunday, when the Dodgers clinched the National League West with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning. “A few years ago, I paid $100 for a Vin Scully baseball at a Ross Porter charity golf tournament,” Caplan said. “Vin was there and I told him my son has said to me, ‘The second most familiar male voice in my life is Vin Scully’s.’ “Vin said in a very humble, modest way, ‘You’d be surprised how many people have told me that.’”

DODGERS.COM

Get ready for October with LA's postseason preview By Adrian Garro It's almost time for the postseason! As teams punch their tickets to the October party, we're taking a look back at their season -- giving away some Season Superlatives and also offering you a chance to learn which member of the team you actually are. Under first-year manager Dave Roberts, the Dodgers have reclaimed their throne atop the NL West with a fourth consecutive division title. They'll look to move deep into October once again, led by a healthy Clayton Kershaw. It's been an eventful summer in Hollywood, with Vin Scully wrapping up his unparalleled 67 years at the microphone as the Dodgers battled it out with the Giants for West supremacy. This season hasn't been without its share of superlative moments on all sides of the diamond, so here's a look at some of the best. Most memorable home run As far as improbable heroes are concerned, Andrew Toles has to be among the best stories of 2016. The outfielder, who didn't even play last year, wasn't part of the Dodgers' Spring Training roster. And yet, he somehow came up with one of their biggest hits of the season: a two-out ninth-inning grand slam on Aug. 31 that turned an 8-6 deficit into a thrilling 10-8 win: Honorable mentions here must go to Yasiel Puig, who hustled around the bases for a walk-off inside-the-parker on June 23, and, of course, Charlie Culberson's division-winning solo shot was one to remember, definitely. Most amazing defensive play Vin Scully is known for his understated, calm precision at the microphone, but even he was in awe of Chase Utley's absolutely absurd and ridiculous no-look backward toss to first base to retire Rockies pitcher Tyler Chatwood.

The play, which Utley made look like nothing more than a routine thing he's done hundreds of times, resulted in Adrian Gonzalez cracking up after catching the ball -- which nabbed Chatwood by a few feet, too: Just crazy, Chase. Most joyous celebration Culberson's division-winning solo shot on Sept. 25 was one to remember, definitely. But the team's celebratory toast of Scully up in the press box was truly one for the ages: As for non-clinching or Scully-related celebrations, though, the entire team doing the "Running Man Challenge" in early May after breaking a losing streak was some big league team cohesion: Most entertaining dugout presence Few pitchers are as entertaining on the mound as Kershaw, but if you weren't aware, he's also a great personality in the dugout. Back on June 18, Kershaw proudly demonstrated the underrated (and undeniably impressive) skill of holding SIX baseballs with one hand: And, while on the disabled list with his back injury, Kershaw spent some time as the dugout phone operator, checking in on a potential replay review: He'll also pile sunflower seeds on you if you're not paying attention: Before you can sit back and see if these Dodgers will truly #WinForVin and bring Los Angeles its first World Series title since 1988, you have to figure out which Dodger you really are in the quiz below.

OC REGISTER

Dodgers' clubhouse chemistry blurred lines between rookies and veterans, holdovers and newcomers By JP Hoornstra LOS ANGELES – The Brut and the Budweiser pooled in the middle of the Dodgers’ clubhouse Sunday afternoon as players, coaches, trainers and executives arrived to celebrate their fourth straight National League West title. Their families stood outside in a hallway, safely separated from the squalor by two sets of double doors. Manager Dave Roberts briefly stepped outside to kiss his wife and daughter. Then he looked up to see rows of wives, girlfriends, children, mothers and fathers standing on dry ground. “You guys come in! Families are in,” Roberts shouted above the clamor. With that declaration, the clubhouse became even more crowded – the Dodgers’ season in a nutshell.

Forty players were active for a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. That’s happened before according to Major League Baseball, but it’s rare. It’s also uncommon for a team to cycle through 55 players (only the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves have used more this season), but the 2016 Dodgers did that too. The story of why the Dodgers needed so many players has been told: 28 men spent time on the disabled list at various times, a record since at least 1987. Those injuries required 15 pitchers to start a game and 24 position players to swing a bat. Of the 40 active players Sunday, 10 were not in the Dodgers’ spring training camp – either because they were on the minor league side of Camelback Ranch or in another organization. But the lines between veteran and rookie, between newcomer and holdover, blurred when the division was clinched. The story of how so many players felt at home in one clubhouse is difficult to appreciate from the outside, and perhaps an underrated part of the club’s success. “You saw the injuries happen and they didn’t let it factor into anything,” pitcher Jesse Chavez said. “They just picked those guys up who were on the DL. That’s something you saw from the other side before I got here. It’s impressive to watch.” Chavez, 33, was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 1. The Dodgers are the eighth organization he’s played for in a professional career that began in 2003. He said he felt at home in the clubhouse immediately, noticing quickly that the Dodgers avoided the trap of splintering into cliques. “Just the conversations you have in passing – the walking-bys, the hellos – just simple stuff,” Chavez said. “The acknowledgment of everybody, the communication we have, is beyond what you could imagine. “To come here, it feels like I was in spring training with this group.” A few minutes later, standing on the opposite side of the room, veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz said the same thing. The Dodgers are Ruiz’s second organization. His 18-year run with the Philadelphia Phillies ended when he was traded for A.J. Ellis on Aug.25. Ruiz was just as beloved in Philadelphia as Ellis was in Los Angeles. And yet, Ruiz said, “it took me two or three days just to fit into the group. They tried to make me feel like I was here since the beginning of the season. That was big.” Two of the biggest contributors Sunday weren’t in the clubhouse for vast portions of the season. The game’s hero, Charlie Culberson, hadn’t started in four days. That was typical for him. A non-roster invitee to spring training, Culberson made the Dodgers’ opening-day roster, then wound up on the Oklahoma City-to-Los Angeles express. He spent roughly half of the season in Triple-A.

On Saturday, Roberts told Culberson he would be in the lineup Sunday. That was typical too. Culberson had a day to prepare and, by extension, a way to feel like part of the team. “He does a good job of that,” Culberson said of Roberts. The starting pitcher, Brandon McCarthy, was two weeks removed from his lowest point in the season if not his career. Technically, he’d been on the disabled list with a sore hip. In reality, he had been battling a case of the yips. “You kind of forget how to throw a ball,” McCarthy said, “at least in a competitive situation.” For a moment, McCarthy feared his career might be over at age 33. A mechanical adjustment in the bullpen changed that. He re-discovered his fastball command and threw 51/3 innings against the Rockies, holding them to two runs. “This last month, I couldn’t have felt more removed,” McCarthy said. “That wasn’t by people excluding me. Everybody gave me the widest berth I could have to go figure things out. A couple weeks ago, I was praying that someone would call from the front office and say, ‘shut this down, we’ll see you next year, let’s get things figured out.’ And you can’t feel farther away from the team at that point. “The last two weeks, it was like, ‘hey, I feel like I’m part of this again.’ I wanted to get back into a game.” In the middle of the clubhouse Sunday, pitcher Kenta Maeda lifted his interpreter off the ground and dumped him into a beer cooler. The damp elbows of data analysts brushed against those of minor league coaches. Several players dispatched the clichéd metaphor about clubhouse as family, but it was never more appropriate. Roberts had already invited everyone’s families into the room. Vin Scully's final Dodgers broadcast will be 9-inning simulcast By Tom Hoffarth The final game of Vin Scully’s broadcast career with the Dodgers will be a nine-inning simulcast on SportsNet LA, KTLA/5 and KLAC-AM (570), the team announced Monday afternoon. That game, Sunday from San Francisco with a noon start, will be the final game of Scully’s 67 years with the franchise. For many years, the team tried to appease both radio listeners and TV viewers by having just the first three innings simulcast, after which the radio team of Charley Steiner and Rick Monday would take the game to its conclusion on radio and Scully would remain on TV. This decision will help many who do not have TV access on Sunday to hear Scully’s final call, as well as for those on the MLB app.

Lon Rosen, the Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said the decision was finally made because “we wanted to make sure that all of Vin’s fans are able to share” in his last broadcast. Steiner and Monday are in agreement to allow Scully to do the entire game on radio as well. The Giants have a tribute planned for Scully on Sunday and will simulcast the third inning of his call to their listeners on KNBR-AM (680) and on TV at Comcast Sports Net Bay Area. On deck: Dodgers at Padres, Tuesday, 7 p.m. By JP Hoornstra Where: Petco Park TV: SNLA Did you know? Not counting pitchers, the Dodgers have used 115 total batting orders so far this season, with their most common order having been used only seven times. THE PITCHERS DODGERS RHP JOSE DE LEON (2-0, 5.52) Vs. Padres: 1-0, 4.50 Hates to face: Yangervis Solarte, 2 for 2 (1.000), HR Loves to face: Ryan Schimpf, 0 for 3 (.000), 3 Ks RED SOX LHP PAUL CLEMENS (3-5, 4.48) Vs. Dodgers: 0-0, 0.00 At Dodger Stadium: 0-0, 0.00 Hates to face: None Loves to face: None UPCOMING MATCHUPS Wednesday: Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (16-9, 3.20) at Padres RHP Luis Perdomo (8-10, 5.59) Thursday: Dodgers (TBD) at Padres LHP Christian Friedrich (5-11, 4.66 ERA)

DODGER INSIDER

Dodger farm system became a production company in 2016 By Cary Osborne What good are baseball prospects if they don’t move? The Dodgers came into 2016 with the top farm system in baseball across the board, according to MLB.com, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. They had five prospects in MLB.com’s preseason Top 100 Prospects list. And all five moved. No. 1 overall prospect Corey Seager will, in all likelihood, be the National League Rookie of the Year. MLB.com No. 4 prospect Julio Uriás graduated from the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers as a teenager and showed rapid progress in the Majors with Los Angeles. No. 24 prospect Jose De León knocked on the door so hard that the Dodgers answered in September, calling him up and watching him contribute to wins right away. In addition, the Dodgers moved No. 62 Grant Holmes and No. 95 Frankie Montas to Oakland in the deal for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick. In all, seven Dodger minor-leaguers made their Major League debut this year. Many others raised their game, climbed the ladder and gave the Dodger farm good reason to be highly regarded next year as well. ARRIVED IN THE SHOW Austin Barnes Due to Yasmani Grandal starting the season on the disabled list, Barnes was on a Major League Opening Day roster for the first time in his career. The 26-year-old batted .295/.380/.443 in 385 plate appearances with Oklahoma City. He has OPSed above .800 at every minor-league stop since 2013. Jose De León One of baseball’s premier right-handed prospects got a late start, missing all of April with a bum ankle. But in 16 starts with Oklahoma City, the 24-year-old had a 2.61 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and averaged 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings, earning a big league callup September 4. Brock Stewart The 2015 sixth-round pick started the season in Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and rose to the Major Leagues in 11 weeks, making his MLB debut with a start in Milwaukee on June 29. The 24-year-old right-hander was selected as the 2016 Dodgers Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year. At three levels — High-A, Double-A and Triple-A — he pitched a combined 121 innings with a 1.79 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 129 strikeouts and a 6.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Andrew Toles

Formerly a highly regarded prospect in the Rays organization, Toles was out of baseball for most of 2015 until he was signed late that September. Like Stewart, he started in High-A in 2016 and advanced three levels to the big leagues, making his MLB debut July 8. Toles hit .331/.374/.511 with 23 stolen bases in 82 minor-league games. Julio Uriás Still only 19 when his season began in Oklahoma City, he proved too advanced for the Pacific Coast League. He had a 1.40 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 6.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 45 innings. TOP OF THE MINORS Cody Bellinger Bellinger started the season as the Dodgers’ No. 6 prospect and ended it as their No. 1. He also skyrocketed to No. 32 on MLB.com’s Top 100 list after not appearing on it in the preseason. He ended the year, almost entirely spent in Double-A Tulsa, with 26 homers, a .271/.365/.507 line and 56 fewer strikeouts than he had in 2015. He hit eight homers in his final 12 games, including three in three games with Oklahoma City. Willie Calhoun The 5-foot-8 second baseman and 2015 fourth-rounder began the season ranked No. 18 among prospects in the organization. By season’s end, he was ranked No. 4 and also No. 92 on MLB.com’s Top 100 list. The 21-year-old hit 27 homers for Double-A Tulsa with a .256/.319/.474 line and an organization-high 88 RBI. Chase De Jong In his first full season in the organization, the 22-year-old right-hander became the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year. With Tulsa, he had a 2.86 ERA and a league-leading 1.02 WHIP and .203 opponents’ batting average. Trevor Oaks The 23-year-old right-hander began the season with Rancho Cucamonga, then started 10 games each for Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Overall, he was 14-3 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 5.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Edwin Rios Like Stewart, the 22-year-old corner infielder played at three minor-league levels in 2016 — Low-A, High-A and Double-A. The 2016 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year did most of his damage in High-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he batted .367/.384/.712 with 16 homers in 188 plate appearances. Overall, he batted .301/.341/.567 with 27 homers. Josh Sborz

Among pitchers with at least 100 innings, Sborz had the best ERA (2.66) and WHIP (1.03) in the California League. He finished the season in Tulsa, where he made 10 relief appearances and had a 3.78 ERA. Alex Verdugo The 2014 second-rounder made more progress in 2016, a year after winning the Branch Rickey Award. In 529 Double-A plate appearances, he hit .273/.336/.407 with a career-best 13 homers. The outfielder is now the Dodgers’ No. 3 prospect. BUBBLING UP Imani Abdullah The 19-year-old right-hander jumped 10 spots to finish 2016 as the Dodgers’ No. 16 prospect. In 72 1/3 innings with Great Lakes, he had a 3.61 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 4.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Yadier Alvarez The 20-year-old Cuban right-hander made his stateside debut in 2016, and between the Arizona Rookie League Dodgers and Low-A Great Lakes, he had a 2.12 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 81 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings. Alvarez is the Dodgers No. 5 prospect and now ranks No. 96 in all of baseball. Walker Buehler The former Vanderbilt star and 2015 Dodger first-rounder got some late-season action after recovering from Tommy John surgery. His pro debut arrived July 7 with the AZL team, and he tossed three innings for Great Lakes. In total, he pitched 10 scoreless innings, including five in the postseason. Yusniel Diaz No. 11 on the Dodgers’ prospect list in the preseason, the 19-year-old Cuban outfielder climbed to No. 6 among Dodger prospects and No. 98 among those in MLB. He batted .272/.333/.418 with nine homers for Rancho Cucamonga. Omar Estevez The 18-year-old Cuban middle infielder jumped seven spots from the preseason to No. 12 on the Dodgers’ list after making his U.S. pro debut in 2016 with Great Lakes. He batted .255/.298/.389 with nine homers in 509 plate appearances. From July 1 on, he batted .308/.358/.473 with seven homers in 244 plate appearances. Mitchell Hansen The Dodgers’ 2015 second-rounder OPSed nearly .300 points higher in 2016 than the year before. He batted .311/.356/.491 with 11 homers for Ogden in 326 plate appearances. Ibandel Isabel

The 21-year-old combined to OPS .975 with 12 homers in 230 plate appearances for Ogden and Great Lakes. Gavin Lux The Dodgers’ top pick in this year’s MLB Draft (20th overall) played most of the season for the Rookie Arizona League Dodgers, but also eight games for Rookie League Ogden. In 253 plate appearances, he batted .296/.375/.399 with five triples. Johan Mieses The 21-year-old outfielder was the organization and California League leader with 28 homers. He batted .247/.314/.510 in 514 plate appearances. In August, he hit 10 homers and OPSed 1.051. DJ Peters The outfielder and Dodgers’ 2016 fourth-rounder obliterated Pioneer League pitching with Ogden to the tune of a .351/.437/.615 line with 13 homers in 302 plate appearances. Dennis Santana The 20-year-old pitcher allowed only two home runs in 111 1/3 innings with Great Lakes. He finished eighth in the Midwest League with a 3.07 ERA and third in strikeouts with 124. Mitchell White The 2016 second-rounder out of Santa Clara University spread 22 innings over stints with AZL, Great Lakes and Rancho and allowed no earned runs, striking out 30 compared with 13 baserunners. AM 570 to simulcast Vin Scully’s entire final broadcast By Jon Weisman Vin Scully’s entire final broadcast Sunday in San Francisco will be simulcast on SportsNet LA, KTLA and AM 570 LA Sports, meaning that radio listeners will hear Scully from start to finish. “We wanted to make sure that all of Vin’s fans are able to share in his final Dodger broadcast of an incredible 67-year Hall of Fame career,” Dodger executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen said. “We want to thank our partner, IHeartMedia, Charley Steiner, Rick Monday and Vin for making this possible for all our viewers and listeners.” Said IHeartMedia senior vice president of sports Don Martin: “The Dodgers, IHeartMedia and KLAC all came together and thought it would be only fitting that we simulcast Vin Scully’s final broadcast to the Dodgers Network on Sunday from San Francisco. We also want to thank Dodger broadcasters Charley Steiner and Rick Monday, who also felt strongly that our listeners should be able to hear Vin’s final call of his unbelievable 67-year career.”

Vin is broadcasting three more games with the Dodgers, all in San Francisco: Friday at 7:15 p.m., Saturday at 1:05 p.m. and Sunday at 12:05 p.m. The Giants have planned a tribute for Vin (who has said his love of baseball was cemented exactly 80 years before, when he learned about a World Series loss by the Giants) and will also simulcast his call of the third inning Sunday on KNBR 680 AM and CSN Bay Area. Dodgers face difficult task trimming roster for playoffs By Jon Weisman With their place in the 2016 postseason assured, the Dodgers now have the final six games of the regular season to measure out rest to certain players — and begin final evaluations of who will go on the postseason roster. Somehow, the Dodgers have to trim their 40-man squad — with every single player on it active — down to 25 by Game 1 of the National League Division Series on October 7. It won’t be easy. First, here are the players most assured of NLDS duty … Catchers (2): Yasmani Grandal, Carlos Ruiz Infielders (4): Adrían González, Chase Utley, Corey Seager, Justin Turner Infielder-outfielders (2): Howie Kendrick, Kiké Hernández Outfielders (4): Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles Starting pitchers (3): Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda Relief pitchers (5): Kenley Jansen, Joe Blanton, Pedro Báez, Grant Dayton, Ross Stripling These should need little explanation, though I’ll offer a morsel. Puig and Toles have played their way into October, while Hernández’s versatility all but ensures his presence in the playoffs. Stripling shouldn’t be considered a lock necessarily, but he seems to have carved a niche for himself down the stretch as the team’s primary long reliever — not that he couldn’t enter for just an inning in a given game. So that’s 20 players on board, leaving only five spots for the remaining 20. The options: Starting pitcher (1): Brett Anderson, Jose De León, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Brock Stewart are the candidates for the potential No. 4 role in the playoff rotation. McCarthy is making a late bid after throwing six innings of two-run ball Sunday, in his first MLB start in six weeks. De León will get his next chance to prove himself Tuesday at San Diego. Whoever gets Thursday’s start at San Diego would appear to be the third finalist.

Relief pitchers (2): The bullpen figures to expand to at least seven relievers, and there are no fewer than eight candidates: lefties Luis Avilan, J.P. Howell, Adam Liberatore, Juilo Urías and Alex Wood, and righties Jesse Chavez, Louis Coleman and Josh Fields. The only name that doesn’t get consideration is Josh Ravin, who has an 0.00 ERA for the Dodgers this year but is ineligible because of this year’s PED suspension. Position players (1): Andre Ethier is the biggest name here, and after going until September 15 without a hit in 2016, he has helped his case with a double and home run in his past two at-bats. Ethier’s main detriment is he bats left-handed on a team that nominally could use more righties, but perhaps the matchup against the Nationals will help him. Washington only uses three southpaws on its pitching staff: starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez and relievers Marc Rzepczynski and Oliver Perez, and Perez has a 12.71 ERA in September. The alternatives are right-handed bats, most of them with defensive versatility. Rob Segedin has the most power, though since August 31, he is 1 for 19 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Charlie Culberson is the best defender and, as we happily learned Sunday, even has occasional pop hmself. Chris Taylor kind of splits the difference between Segedin and Culberson, while Austin Barnes gets on base a bit, plays three positions and would let the Dodgers use a backup catcher as a pinch-hitter without fear. Micah Johnson would mainly be a pure pinch-running candidate, if Toles has become too enticing a hitter to fulfill that role. 25th man (1): Pick a name from either of the last two categories above — either a 14th position player or a 12th pitcher. No getting around it: The Dodgers really have a lot of choices.

TRUEBLUELA.COM

Dodgers within 1 game of Nationals for NLDS home field advantage By Eric Stephen The Nationals lost on Monday 14-4 to the Arizona Diamondbacks at home, meaning the Dodgers are now within one game of Washington for home field advantage in the National League Division Series. This is the closest the Dodgers and Nationals have been in the standings since April 11. The Nationals (91-65) finish off their season with six more home games, three each against the Diamondbacks and Marlins. The Dodgers (90-66) hit the road to complete their season with three games in San Diego and three in San Francisco. Because the Dodgers won five of their six meetings with the Nationals in 2016, they own the tiebreaker should both teams finish with the same record. So of these 12 remaining regular season outcomes, the Dodgers need seven to go their way to secure home field advantage in the NLDS, which starts on Friday, Oct. 7.

The main story for the Nationals of late has been injuries. MVP candidate Daniel Murphy last started on Sept. 17, and is dealing with with a strained butt muscle. He has just two plate appearances in the last seven games. On Monday, catcher Wilson Ramos had to be carried off the field after suffering a potential serious right knee injury while leaping to field a throw. Ramos will undergo an MRI exam on Monday to determine the severity of the injury. Ramos is having a fantastic season behind the plate for the Nationals, hitting .307/.354/.496 with 22 home runs and 25 doubles in 131 games. The only two major leaguers with more home runs hit as a catcher in 2016 are Jonathan Lucroy (23) and the Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal (27). Washington continues their series against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night with Cy Young candidate (favorite?) Max Scherzer on the mound, while the Dodgers open up a three-game set at Petco Park. Monday scores Diamondbacks 14, Nationals 4 Tuesday schedule 4:05 p.m.: Diamondbacks (Matt Koch) at Nationals (Max Scherzer) 7:10 p.m.: Dodgers (Jose De Leon) at Padres (Paul Clemens) Dodgers to simulcast Vin Scully’s final broadcast on radio By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES — If you aren’t able to watch Vin Scully’s final broadcast on Sunday afternoon, there is one more way for you to follow along. The Dodgers will simulcast the entire game against the Giants on AM 570 LA Sports radio, the club announced on Monday. Normally, the first three innings of Scully’s television broadcast are simulcast on radio, followed by Charley Steiner and Rick Monday calling the remainder of the game. But on Sunday from San Francisco, fans can hear all nine innings — or possibly longer, as his final Dodger Stadium broadcast showed — on radio. Scully will call all three games against the Giants from AT&T Park to close out his Hall of Fame, 67-year career. This will make a total of just six road games all season for Scully, who called opening day on Apr. 4 in San Diego, and two games in Anaheim on May 18-19. The SportsNet LA television broadcasts all weekend will also be simulcast on over-the-air KTLA, as the final three games against the Rockies were last weekend, Scully’s final games at Dodger Stadium. “We wanted to make sure that all of Vin’s fans are able to share in his final Dodger broadcast of an incredible 67-year Hall of Fame career,” said Dodgers chief marketing officer Lon Rosen in a press

release. “We want to thank our partner, IHeart Media, Charley Steiner, Rick Monday and Vin for making this possible for all our viewers and listeners.” The Giants are also simulcasting part of Scully’s call, sharing the third inning on both radio (KNBR 680) and television (CSN Bay Area) on Sunday. The 2016 Dodgers at home By Eric Stephen There is still a week remaining in the regular season for the Dodgers, but their home schedule is now complete. Here is a look back at some highlights of their 2016 season at Dodger Stadium. With five straight wins to close out the National League West, the Dodgers won 11 of their last 12 home games this year. They ended 53-28 at Dodger Stadium, tied with Cleveland for the third-best home record in the majors. With 108 home wins since the start of 2015, the Dodgers have their most home wins in a two-year span since going 108-46 (.701) at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn in 1955-56. The Dodgers at home in 2016 were 15-4 with five sweeps in three-game series, were 3-1-1 in four-game series with one sweep win and one sweep loss (Apr. 25-28 vs. Miami), and split both two-game series. That makes for a total 18-5-3 series record at Dodger Stadium in 2016, including six straight home series wins to close out the season. Corey Seager’s home run with two outs in the ninth inning of home game No. 81 was the 100th of the season hit at home by the Dodgers, then Charlie Culberson hit No. 101. It was the fourth time the Dodgers have hit 100 home runs in a season at Dodger Stadium, the first time hey have done so since 2004. Yasmani Grandal hit nearly one fifth of those home runs, with 20 of his 27 home runs on the season coming at home. It was the seventh time a player hit 20 or more home runs in a season at Dodger Stadium. The record is 23, jointly held by Gary Sheffield (2000) and Adrian Beltre (2004). Grandal hit .278/.378/.621 with 50 RBI in 68 home games this season. BEST RUN DIFFERENTIAL AT DODGER STADIUM Year Runs scored Runs allowed Differential 1962 409 289 +120 1977 386 273 +113 1974 355 250 +105 1975 319 221 +98 2016 350 261 +89 1978 361 272 +89

Seager fell two home runs short of joining Grandal on that home run list, but did have 21 doubles at home, fifth-most in a season at Dodger Stadium. The record is 26, hit by Shawn Green in 2003. Seager’s triple on Sunday was his second of the year, giving him 41 extra-base hits at home, just the fourth man ever with 40 extra-base hits in a season at Dodger Stadium. The only one with more was Andre Ethier, with a whopping 49 in 2009. Seager’s 179 total bases are the third-most in a season at Dodger Stadium, behind only Ethier (185 in 2009) and Tommy Davis (182 in 1962). On the season, Seager hit .321/.373/.574 with 50 runs scored and 100 hits. His was the 11th season of 100 or more hits at Dodger Stadium, and the first since Juan Pierre in 2007. Steve Garvey did it five times. Joc Pederson also excelled at Dodger Stadium in 2016, hitting .247/.374/.562 with 13 home runs and 12 doubles, and tied Grandal for the team lead with 31 home walks. Walk-off hero Charlie Culberson hit .375/.394/.469 in 33 plate appearances at home in 2016, including a home run in the final regular season at-bat at Dodger Stadium. The other two walk-off home runs at Dodger Stadium in 2016 were hit by Trayce Thompson, who .242/.322/.500 with nine home runs in 143 plate appearances at home, with game-enders on May 10 against the Mets and June 7 against the Rockies. On the pitching side, Clayton Kershaw threw three home shutouts this season, and at home was 8-1 with a 1.08 ERA in his 10 home starts. That 1.08 ERA matched Orel Hershiser’s 1985 as the third-best in a season at Dodger Stadium with a minimum of 10 starts. The best was by Sandy Koufax, who had an absurd 0.85 ERA at home in 1964. Rich Hill allowed one run in 17 innings in his three Dodger Stadium starts, with 18 strikeouts and three walks. Kershaw had 86 strikeouts against only four walks at home in 2016. He joins Kenley Jansen, who struck out 60 and walked five this year at home, as the only pitchers ever at Dodger Stadium with at least 50 strikeouts and no more than five walks in a season. Jansen saved 27 games in 28 chances at Dodger Stadium in 2016, second only to Eric Gagne’s 35 saves at home in 2003. Dodgers relievers put up a 2.42 ERA at home, with 318 strikeouts in 294⅓ innings. With 350 runs scored, the Dodgers scored their most runs at home since 2009 (365). With 261 runs allowed, the Dodgers allowed their fewest at home since 2003 (254). The Dodgers’ home run differential of +89 is tied with 1978 for their fifth-best ever at Chavez Ravine. The best mark came in the inaugural year of 1962, when they outscored opponents by 120 runs.

Dodgers Week 25: Closing out the division at home By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES — In a week that saw Vin Scully say goodbye to an adoring city in the final home broadcasts of his amazing 67-year career, the Dodgers on the field were on fire. They beat the rival Giants in two of three games, made multiple sets of “Don’t Look at Me” shirts, then swept the Rockies in a four-game series for the first time ever, ending with a walk-off home run to win the National League West for Scully’s final call at Dodger Stadium. They did that all while using 38 of the 40 players on the active roster. Batter of the week Yasmani Grandal continued his fine season, hitting .412 (7-for-17) with three extra-base hits and three walks. He drove in seven runs on the week, five of them on Thursday, when his grand slam was one of two home runs, the first Dodger with home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game since Orlando Hudson on July 12, 2009. Joc Pederson gets honorable mention despite hitting two balls all week. He had a home run and a two-run single with four strikeouts in his six at-bats, but added a hit by pitch and eight walks for a whopping .733 on-base percentage for the week. Charlie Culberson also gets a mention for going 4-for-7 (.571) before his iconic home run to send the Dodgers into the postseason. Pitcher of the week Clayton Kershaw is looking very much like Clayton Kershaw again. He made two starts last week, his third and fourth outings since returning from the disabled list, and he allowed just one unearned run in 13 innings, with 13 strikeouts. He did walk a batter though, so maybe something went terribly wrong. Week 25 results Record: 6-1 41 runs scored (5.86 per game) 16 runs allowed (2.29 per game) .848 pythagorean record 2016 season to date Record: 90-66 706 runs scored (4.53 per game) 602 runs allowed (3.86 per game) .572 pythagorean record (89-67) Miscellany Veteran tryout starters: Three of the Dodgers’ four starters against the Rockies were veterans activated from the disabled list, trying to make one last impression for a possible postseason start. The most impressive was Brandon McCarthy, who pitched into the sixth inning on Sunday, allowing only two runs while walking just one.

McCarthy had the largest recent hole to climb out of, having suffered from the yips. After never walking more than four in any career start, McCarthy walked five batters in three straight starts, and was placed on the DL after hi August 13 start. “ It all got really bad. This last month has been a fairly miserable month. You don't know if it's going to be the end of your career,” McCarthy said. “The last two weeks have been a nice bright spot. To get back and be part of this, is more than I can ask for." Transactions Monday: Micah Johnson was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Tuesday: Alex Wood was activated from the 60-day DL, and Bud Norris was designated for assignment. Thursday: Brett Anderson was activated from the disabled list. Friday: Scott Kazmir was activated from the disabled list, and infielder Chris Taylor was recalled from Triple-A. Sunday: Brandon McCarthy was activated from the disabled list. Current roster total: 40 (18 position players, 22 pitchers) Game results Monday: Dodgers 2, Giants 1 Tuesday: Giants 2, Dodgers 0 Wednesday: Dodgers 9, Giants 3 Thursday: Dodgers 7, Rockies 4 Friday: Dodgers 5, Rockies 2 Saturday: Dodgers 14, Rockies 1 Sunday: Dodgers 4, Rockies 3 (10) Upcoming week With NLDS home field advantage up for grabs, the Dodgers close out their regular season by running the Willie Montanez gauntlet, with three games in San Diego and three in San Francisco. The Dodgers’ weekend rotation hasn’t been finalized; in reality, Clayton Kershaw will start Friday or Saturday, and Rich Hill Saturday or Sunday.

ESPN LA

Jaime Jarrin delivers heartfelt tribute to Vin Scully By One Nacion Among the numerous tributes and multiple ceremonies to commemorate Los Angeles Dodgers broadcasting legend Vin Scully as his retirement nears, came one from a man who knows him quite well. His Spanish-language broadcasting counterpart, Jaime Jarrin, has now been with the team for 58 seasons. Like the soon-to-be retiree, Jarrin is one to shun the spotlight if possible. The Ecuador native was deferential to Scully in comments he delivered to Hoy Los Angeles, regarding his relationship with Vin. "He's a very humble man," said Jarrin. "He's the best baseball play-by-play man of all-time, and even then I never saw him turn away from a photo or autograph request; he's very nice." Jarrin, who will remain with the Dodgers at least through 2018, first joined the team in 1959. He remembered having then-team owner Walter O'Malley walk him up the steps to the main broadcast booth to meet Scully, a man he calls his friend after nearly six decades. 'I saw a thin man, short hair, very kind. (O'Malley) told me it was Vin Scully, the play-by-play man," Jarrin recalled. "It was a nice first impression, and from there started a friendship that has lasted more than 58 years." At that point, Jarrin was a 23-year-old thrust upon the job (“I never applied for it,” he told The Guardian earlier this month) looking up to Scully, who had been calling Dodgers games for close to a decade at that point. After their first few meetings, it was clear the Brooklyn native would become a mentor for his counterpart. Even now, Jarrin recalls two points of advice Scully he observes to this day. "Prepare for every game, it doesn't matter if you've done two thousand, five thousand," he said. "The other was not to become good friends with the ballplayers because it can affect your work on the microphone," he continued. Though they've worked together for the better part of their lives, Jarrin says he'll undoubtedly miss Scully's presence at Dodger Stadium. "I'll miss him a lot; we've been great friends," admitted Jarrin.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

The new Nasty Boys? Dodgers' bullpen among those that could be October surprise

By Tom Verducci This will not be your father’s postseason, or even your older brother’s postseason. We tend to view the golden age of baseball as whatever was being played when we were in those wonder years when we were between eight and 12 years old. It forms our view of how baseball “should be played,” and of course it ignores how the game constantly evolves. Take starting pitching, or what is left of it. The consensus is that the Dodgers and Orioles are in trouble because their starting pitchers don’t throw enough innings—they rank 28th and 22nd, respectively—and that the Indians are in trouble because starters Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco are hurt. Are people writing such stories on typewriters? Because relief pitching, bolstered by a seemingly endless supply of pitchers throwing harder and harder, has become nearly as important as starting pitching—particularly in the postseason, with its surfeit of off days that keep the best relievers available almost every game. The past two world champions, the 2014 Giants and 2015 Royals, ranked 10th and 22nd in innings by starters, respectively, but fifth and second in bullpen ERA. "In the postseason," said one veteran executive, "it’s almost as if you play the first half of the game to a draw, and win the second half with your bullpen with guys who keep the ball out of play. Some teams go into a game [with their third or fourth starter] planning on it as a bullpen game." Here’s one way to view how much postseason baseball has changed. Let’s check the percentage of games won by relief pitchers both in the regular season and in the postseason in three distinct four-year windows: the last four years before divisional play (1965 through '68), the first four years with the wild card ('95 through '98) and the first four years with two wild cards in each league (2012 through '15). You’ll notice I’ve given these four-year windows generational names, because the October baseball played in them is so different. TIME REGULAR SEASON POSTSEASON Your grandparent's MLB: 1965 through '68 26.8% 8% Your parent's MLB: 1995 through '98 30.0% 35.4% Your MLB: 2012 through 2015 30.4% 41.3% I get it. We like to think of the World Series with the imprint of legends such as Christy Mathewson, Whitey Ford and Jack Morris—starters who took the ball often and threw complete games—but those days are long gone. We’re even a decade and a half removed from Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling teaming up to lead the Diamondbacks to the 2001 title. Knowing how important bullpens become in postseasons in today’s game, let’s revisit the Dodgers, Orioles and Indians through the prism of what can win today. Here are the best bullpens entering this week, as ranked by ERA: 1. Dodgers: 3.21 2. Nationals: 3.28 3. Indians: 3.31 4. Orioles: 3.42 There just might be a 2014 Giants or 2015 Royals on that list.

Think about the “Nasty Boys” bullpen of the 1990 world champion Reds. The unit is famous for being “unhittable.” But here’s how much the game has changed: The Dodgers’ bullpen is nastier than the Nasty Boys and it doesn’t even have a nickname. But closer Kenley Jansen, who ranks second in the NL with 47 saves, and setup men like Louis Coleman, Grant Dayton and Joe Blanton should give manager Dave Roberts plenty of options—and confidence—in the postseason. CATEGORY 1990 REDS 2016 DODGERS W-L Record 27–22 31–20 ERA 2.93 3.21 IP 472 2/3 565 2/3 BB 197 194 K 450 604 Avg. .233 .215 One more list. The emphasis on deep bullpens has reached another level: deep bullpens with swing-and-miss stuff. The idea is not just to get outs, but also to keep the ball out of play entirely. The Cubs, without regard for playing the bullpen matchup games (like the 2015 Royals), set up their endgame with these pitchers, in order, and their ridiculous rates of strikeouts per nine innings: Carl Edwards (13.1), Pedro Strop (11.5), Hector Rondon (10.2) and Aroldis Chapman (15.2). Let’s find the 14 best teams in history at keeping the ball out of play in the last three innings of a game. It turns out all of them have occurred in the past five years, including half of them just this year—including the Dodgers and Indians. (Dodgers president Andrew Friedman, who formerly ran the Rays, has four teams listed among the top nine.) 1. 2016 Yankees: 10.7 2. 2016 Dodgers: 10.1 3. 2016 Astros: 10.0 3. 2014 Yannkees: 10.0 5. 2015 Dodgers: 9.9 6. 2016 Red Sox: 9.8 6. 2014 Rays: 9.8 8. 2016 Cubs: 9.6 9. 2012 Rays: 9.5 10. 2012 Reds: 9.4 12. 2016 Indians: 9.3 12. 2016 Mariners: 9.3 13. 2013 Royals: 9.3 A baseball game begins with starting pitchers. The leagues hold press conferences the day before each game with them. The first thing we do when we break down a series is to look at the starting pitcher matchups. This is what we’re conditioned to do.

From 1985 through '91, starting pitchers won six of the seven World Series MVP awards. But since then, starting pitchers have won only six of 23 such awards. October baseball is played differently. Don’t be so quick to write off the Dodgers, Orioles and Indians.

FORBES

Credit Dave Roberts For Dodgers Success By Howard Cole Injuries happen. *hit happens, OK? But the injury excuse does not fly. If your team fails in the face of challenges, no matter what they may be, no one wants to hear a bunch of excuses. On the other hand, if your club uses the disabled list a record-setting number of times, if you are minus an entire rotation – including the best starter on the planet — for much or all of the season, and you still manage to come out on top (emphasis on the word “manage”) that is something to brag about. And since the Dodgers’ skipper isn’t going to pat himself on the back for all he’s done in 2016, I’ll gladly sing his praises. Dave Roberts is the difference maker in Los Angeles. He has been everything the Dodgers could have asked for and more. From his inspiring introductory press conference in November, to his first-week-of-Spring-Training meetings with players, to his patient, loving dealing with Yasiel Puig, to the rousing celebration of the National League West clinching Sunday, Roberts has made the Dodgers his team. He is exactly what the team needed. Right man, right place, perfect time. It’s time to credit Dave Roberts for the club’s success. Whether he is named NL Manager of the Year or not, he has been a great rookie manager. He is a leader of men. Whether we can define it precisely or not, Roberts has that certain something that has been missing, that special quality required to reach this particular bunch. Another great rookie manager had that certain something too. A guy by the name of Tommy Lasorda, who led his 1977 Dodgers to the World Series after disappointments the previous two seasons. And we all know what happened later: World Championships in 1981 and 1988, followed by Cooperstown in 1997. While the comparisons to 1988 may be tiresome after all this time, the 2016 Dodgers really do capture the spirit of that championship squad. And in case you missed it, Roberts has his men ready for October. They’ve won four straight, eight of 10, and perhaps most importantly, have beaten nine of the last 12 left-handers starters to face them. I don’t know what to make of this business about a manager being good for five wins or losses in season, depending on his performance. Or however that goes. What I know is that this year’s team plays a better brand of fundamental baseball than the ones in recent seasons. Perhaps because the skipper demands it.

The defense is better, perhaps because the skipper demands it. There is less predictability. There is less call for individual achievement and more talk about the team goals. Just ask Rich Hill. Or Mr. Spock.

FANGRAPHS

We Have a Pop-Up Controversy By Jeff Sullivan Think about what you know about hitters and pop-ups. Pop-ups, for all hitters, are bad. They might as well be one-pitch strikeouts. And, you know who doesn’t hit them? Joey Votto. You know that Joey Votto pretty much never hits a pop-up. It’s among the many things that make him extraordinary. Joe Mauer also doesn’t really hit pop-ups. Christian Yelich. Ryan Howard. Shin-Soo Choo. On and on. And there’s Howie Kendrick. Kendrick doesn’t hit pop-ups. But: That was tweeted at me yesterday. And when I checked the live statistics on FanGraphs, Kendrick had an infield fly. Yet when I check those same statistics today: nothing. It’s as if it’s been erased. Here is the batted ball in question: Fielded comfortably by the second baseman. We’d all identify that as a pop-up, right? In one sense, then, Kendrick did pop up yesterday. You could say it’s the most important sense. Yet, here’s the leaderboard, when I look at everyone who’s batted at least 500 times over the past three calendar years. This is why this matters. (It doesn’t matter-matter, but, you know.) Kendrick is the only guy with double zeros. Everyone else has hit at least one infield fly. So, what are we supposed to do, here? In truth, it’s not that much of a mystery. We get batted-ball data from Baseball Info Solutions, and they have a specific definition of what makes an infield fly. Yesterday, when I checked the live stats, those were getting fed in by MLB Gameday, and that has a different, looser definition. So Kendrick’s fly ball was a pop-up by one definition, but not by both. If you take the BIS data as gospel, Kendrick objectively remains without such a blemish. But you can’t really say Kendrick hasn’t hit a pop-up. He just hasn’t hit one particular kind of pop-up. Heck, this was just a matter of weeks ago: The last time I checked, the BIS cutoff was 140 feet. That is, any fly ball hit more than 140 feet wouldn’t count as an infield fly. Kendrick still hasn’t popped up within the infield. But these flies flew only a little beyond 140. And now that we have Statcast, we can try to run some numbers ourselves. We’re still going to have to define things arbitrarily, and Statcast sometimes has trouble picking up batted balls hit at extreme angles, but let’s just see what we can do for 2016. Why don’t we set a cutoff at a launch angle of 60 degrees? Joey Votto has zero such batted balls. Christian Yelich, zero. Joe Mauer, one. Howie Kendrick, one. Starling Marte, one. I don’t know how many batted balls are missing from the sample, so it’s not

authoritative. But, it’s something. No definition of a pop-up is going to be the definition of a pop-up. This is the issue with bucketing. But Howie Kendrick either has a pop-up or two, or he doesn’t. According to the numbers we have here, Kendrick hasn’t popped up once in three years. That’s amazing! It still, no matter what, reflects a legitimate ability of his, but his is a soft zero. There’s no arriving at a one true answer. Howie Kendrick most certainly doesn’t hit pop-ups. Except for the rare occasions when he does. Welp? Clayton Kershaw Experimented On the Rockies By Jeff Sullivan One of my favorite things about baseball is how Clayton Kershaw has never been able to master a changeup. There’s absolutely no one in baseball who needs a changeup less than Clayton Kershaw, but, drive is drive. He’s been frustrated by his own lack of progress, because as far as he’s concerned, he’ll forever see room for improvement. He still has an ERA. Runs are mistakes. Kershaw wants to be better. It doesn’t matter to him how silly that sounds. He’s willing to try different things, and that brings us to this past weekend, when Kershaw and the Dodgers blew out the Rockies. We’re going to fast-forward to the seventh inning, when the Dodgers were up by eight runs. Actually, no, before we do that, here’s an image from Texas Leaguers. Kershaw’s estimated 2016 release points: Three pitches stand out. Here’s the high one, from April: You might’ve forgotten about that. The baseball season is long. Anyway, now, seventh inning, facing the Rockies. Here’s Kershaw throwing a pretty ordinary Kershaw-y pitch to Nolan Arenado: Real good pitch. Here’s the following delivery: You see that? So, Arenado singled. He was shortly eliminated. With two outs, up came Gerardo Parra. A typical Kershaw pitch: And, the very next pitch: You see Parra look out at the mound. Arenado did the same thing. That’s presumably because Kershaw gave them both a sudden, weird, different look. I’ll use screenshots now. The first of the two shown Parra pitches: The second of the two shown Parra pitches: Look at the arm. Look at the release point. Two times in the seventh inning, with the leverage about as low as it can get, Clayton Kershaw dropped down. He threw one ball, and he threw one strike, which earned a strikeout. Here’s a one-image comparison, with the ordinary release point shown by the yellow dot:

Just as Clayton Kershaw doesn’t need a changeup, he doesn’t need a second slot. He’s already the best at what he does in the game. But, I mean, what’s the harm? Especially at 8-0? I’m going to guess he’s tried this a few times in the bullpen. Might as well see if it plays in a game, with the playoffs coming up. Anything for an edge. I suppose even the best players have to work hard to remain the best. I will say, Kershaw’s low-slot delivery doesn’t look so smooth. It doesn’t quite seem comfortable, and maybe you shouldn’t expect it to. That’s not how he’s thrown, but that second fastball was perfectly located, and you don’t need to be flawless if you’re offering a second look, for the surprise of it. The ball gets to the catcher in less than half a second. That doesn’t give hitters much time to process. I wonder if this was Kershaw’s idea, or if he’s been having conversations with Rich Hill. Hill loves his unpredictability. Imagine Hill’s deception with Kershaw’s stuff. Or, don’t. The result would be terrifying. And besides, there’s not yet any indication this is going to keep up. For the time being, all we know is that Clayton Kershaw tried an experiment two times in a low-leverage inning. Maybe that’s all we’ll ever see. Or maybe, you know, it’s not. What am I, God? Update As shown in the comments, Kershaw was indeed inspired by Hill. And it turns out the strikeout pitch to Parra was the fastest pitch Kershaw has thrown in 2016, by a few tenths of a point. So.

INSIDE SOCAL

Vin Scully memories from the media: Brent Shyer By Tom Hoffarth Brent Shyer worked closely with Vin Scully as Dodgers’ Director of Broadcasting, Publications and New Media for 14 seasons. In 1998, Shyer also served as broadcast technical advisor for the movie, “For Love of the Game,” in which Scully starred as himself and called play-by-play during the baseball scenes. He shares these stories: “Like most Dodger fans growing up in the Los Angeles area, I was truly blessed to have had the opportunity to listen to ‘that voice.’ The one and only voice that belongs to Vin Scully and is instantly recognizable. “I became interested in baseball because of my Dad’s fondness for the Dodgers and Vin’s voice. My Dad always carried a transistor radio with him to listen to Vin. Even when we attended games at Dodger Stadium, Dad held the radio and listened to Vin, as if what he saw on the field with his eyes didn’t really happen until Vin said it did! Vin was as much a legend then as he is today and I knew from an early age he was very special. Through his unparalleled storytelling and tireless preparation, he taught us about the game, its players (for not just the Dodgers but the opposing team, as well), its history and traditions. But, more importantly, he has taught generations about life.

“Fast forward to 1988 when I had the opportunity to join the front office of the Dodgers as Director of Publications and subsequently added responsibilities as Director of Broadcasting. What a thrill to see and work with Vin on a regular basis and a privilege to interact with him in the press box, on the road, at special events or on the phone. His friendly, kind and gentle manner shined through and always uplifted my day. “Following a road spring training game in Ft. Lauderdale, Vin invited me to ride back with him in his rental car to Vero Beach. Just the two of us, talking about baseball, hobbies and news of the day. I must have pinched myself to think this great Hall of Fame broadcaster, who I had always looked up to, was now driving me and we were having this enjoyable conversation for a couple of hours. “On another occasion, after a televised exhibition game and attempting to catch his flight home, Vin wanted to drive from the broadcast booth at Holman Stadium at Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida to the main clubhouse, crossing over a small bridge and down a narrow road to the other side of the complex. Problem was a very nice security guard had been posted to not allow any traffic through. Doing her job, she put out her arms to stop Vin, apparently unaware who he was and the fact that he was driving on the street named for him by the Dodgers: Vin Scully Way! He smiled and reassured her, ‘Oh, it’s OK.’ To me, he saved her from any embarrassment or trouble. That’s Vin. “He is also the most gracious, honest, humble and learned man I have known. After having dinner one night with him in Chicago, we were walking on the sidewalks on busy Michigan Avenue and people started recognizing him and made comments to him about how good it was to see him. One fan said that he loved Vin and had listened to his broadcasts for decades. Typical of his self-effacing demeanor, his reply was: ‘You ought to get a medal!’ “No, he deserves all the medals, honors and good that comes his way, and then some! We are all so much richer for listening to him, laughing with him, learning from him, following his unprecedented career and having him as a significant part of our lives. He is a good man. Daily he lives his faith and holds strong family values. I will always be grateful to him – a true national treasure – and his beautiful wife, Sandra and cherish memorable times spent together.” Vin Scully memories from the media: John Olguin By Tom Hoffarth John Olguin, the VP of Communications with Chip Ganassi Racing, worked for the Dodgers from 1991 to 2005 as a vice president of public relations. He shares about Scully: “I had the luxury of working with Vin for about 14 years with the Dodgers in a number of different capacities. I started working with him as an intern and by the time I left as vice president of public relations. When you grow up in Southern California you grow up listening to Vin so it is a little worrisome when you know you are going to finally get to meet him because you don’t want your bubble to be burst in case he is not everything that you hope he will be. Well, the beauty of Vin Scully is that he is exactly what you think or hope he will be. In fact, he is that and so much more.

“It doesn’t matter if you are an intern, fan, executive, celebrity or anyone else – he treats everyone the same. When he speaks to you, he has this ability to make you feel like you are the most important person in the world at that moment. Nobody leaves a meeting with Vin without feeling great. He has that much respect for everyone he comes in contact with. “One fun memory for me was when I was an intern in 1991. …. “That season I worked the stadium scoreboard for some games. In one particular game the visiting team scored on a close play at the plate that resulted in Tommy Lasorda coming out to argue the safe call. I was just a recent college grad who was loving every minute of working for the Dodgers and watching the action down on the field and not paying much attention to what I was supposed to be doing. Well, Lasorda subsequently gets tossed and the whole time Vin is describing the action to everyone including all of us in the booth where the scoreboard was operated. “Well, in all the commotion on the field I guess I had forgotten to update the scoreboard with the runs that had just scored. So in only the way that Vin can do, he says the following on the air: ‘In his own form of protest, the scoreboard operator stubbornly refuses to put the runs on the board.’ “Although I was embarrassed at the time, I look back at that as the time – VIN MENTIONED ME ON THE AIR – not by name of course but for a kid from Barstow, that was still pretty cool … at least in retrospect. “Everyone knows that he has a command of the English language like no other. He always finds the right words for any situation but always eloquent and succinct. One thing that he often said when referring those of us that had the good fortune of working in Major League Baseball, ‘we all worked in the toy department of life’ For him it always seemed fun. I have never forgotten that and think about it often. “I feel extremely fortunate to have spent a lot of time at the stadium and on airplanes and bus rides with Vin. He is a national treasure in every way.” Vin Scully memories from the media: Steve Brener By Tom Hoffarth Steve Brener’s bio as president of BZAPR.com explains how the Grant High, L.A. Valley College and Cal State Northridge grad joined the Dodgers’ public relations/publicity staff in 1970 and when he was promoted to director of publicity at the age of 24, he was the youngest at his job in MLB history. He had an 18 year run with the team before eventually creating his own PR company with partner Toby Zwikel, and his career has circled back to working for the Dodgers — this year, in particular, organizing Scully interview requests. Brener shares these reflections: “Many of us have grown up remembering many a night where we tucked that transistor radio under our pillow with it tuned to the voice of Vin Scully and Dodger baseball. This usually happened after dinner and an evening of home work as well to be prepared for another day of school.

“This is how my love affair with Scully and the Dodgers was born. And then when I was fortunate enough to work for the Dodgers in 1970, I was also introduced to this ‘voice.’ And now I had the unbelievable opportunity to work with the man. “One thing I have always admired about Vin is the fact that he is always prepared and he has the greatest recall of anyone I have ever been around. This man prepares for each game during the day and he gets to the stadium anywhere from three to four hours before the game to do more homework and preparation. You talk about impressive. Each broadcast is a masterpiece and it shows. I’ve never seen Vin have a bad day at the ballpark. “I have been most fortunate to work closely with Vin this past season in handling his schedule. I’ve also spent time with Vin, Rick Monday and Charley Steiner at dinner at each home game. What a treat! Vin telling one story after another. Jackie Robinson, who had never ice skated before in his life, challenging Vin to a race in the Catskills. Vin calling his first football game on top of the roof of the press box at Fenway Park between Boston University and Maryland. Vin didn’t bring his jacket because he thought he was going to be inside the press box and the elements taken care of. It didn’t turn out that way. “Or Vin recalling walking by that Chinese Laundry on Oct. 2, 1936, when he was about nine years old and seeing the line score of the Yankees win over the Giants, 18-4. He fell in love with Mel Ott and the Giants and now his last game with the Dodgers will be against the Giants. “Vin always says he is most thankful to the man above for giving him the time and opportunity to do what he does so well. We should be the ones that are thankful that God has given us the greatest baseball broadcaster in history. We have been truly blessed to listen to and be touched by the Babe Ruth of the past 67 years. Thank you Vin. May you enjoy the years ahead with your lovely wife, Sandi, and your family.”

SF GATE

A’s broadcaster Ken Korach had a blast at Vin Scully ceremony game By Susan Slusser A’s radio broadcaster Ken Korach has been a Vin Scully fan all his life, so he drove to Los Angeles on Friday to go see the ceremonies honoring the Dodgers’ play-by-play man. Korach bought a ticket and sat in the stands, as a fan, to help pay tribute to Scully, a Frick Award winner who is retiring at the age of 88. “It exceeded my expectations, if possible,” Korach said. “It was really emotional. There was just so much love for Vinny. ... I really soaked it in, I got to the ballpark and walked around, sat in my seat. “It was very dramatic the way they did it, both teams came out on the baseline and the L.A. Philharmonic with John Williams for the National Anthem. There were no dry eyes, I looked around, people were crying. The ovation lasted forever, it must have been 10 minutes, the people just wouldn’t

stop. And Vinny’s comments were so appropriate and so gracious, but you could tell he was very moved by it.” Korach grew up in Los Angeles and he said he was delighted to hear many of Scully’s most famous calls played during the pregame proceedings. “All calls that are so indelible, including one that isn’t all that popular up here,” Korach said of Scully’s call of Kirk Gibson’s homer off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series. “Of course Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965, hearing that again - I remember listening to that live.” Scully is a big reason Korach got into broadcasting in the first place. “I don’t know if I would here without his influence,” Korach said. “I can say that about other people, including Bill King, but Vinny was the first voice of my childhood. I think he instilled a love of broadcasting in me. and he was a model we all aspire to in the way he’s conducted himself, on the air and off, and also the way he dedicated himself to making every broadcast special.”

TAMPA BAY TIMES

Jon Miller on Vin Scully: 'He was the favorite Dodger of all time' By Martin Fennelly I have a story coming up on legendary Hall of Fame Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, who is retiring after 67 years of broadcasting. For the story, I talked with Hall of Fame broadcaster Jon Miller, for 20 years a voice of the San Francisco Giants and a friend and fan of Vin Scully: "When you think Dodgers, he's what you think of. Back in the '70s, they had some kind of vote and the fans could vote for the all-time favorite Dodger. And Koufax got a lot of votes and Drysdale got a lot of votes. But the guy who won was Vin Scully. He was the favorite Dodger of all time. "Growing up in San Francisco as a Giants fan as a kid in the early '60s, the Giants were in a pennant race with the Dodgers most of those years. Baseball was mostly a radio game back then. I came to realize how good Vinny was. I could hear him driving a car. For me, he was the best I ever heard broadcast baseball. Now he's 88 years old, he's on television. To really appreciate how good he was and is, you have to go back to when he was on radio. "He not only painted a vivid picture of the action, so you felt you could almost feel it as if you were there — and this is on radio — but he also always had a story that never intruded on the game, but was apropos to what just happened. That was the art that he brought to it. "Vinny is concise; his pronunciation is exact. He has that musical, almost lyrical sound to his voice. But that's the way he talks, it truly is. "For Vinny, the way he tells the story, when they got to L.A., they played in the old Coliseum. Mammoth place. So many of the fans were far away from the field. Transistor radios were sort of a new

phenomenon at the time. People started bringing their transistors to listen to Vinny because they couldn't really see that well, because the seats were so far away at the Coliseum. But years later, when they were in Dodger Stadium, they were still bringing their radios. They still wanted to hear Vinny. "I just think about the facility of the language and the exquisite sense of timing. Bob Costas and I, we used to joke that Vinny commanded such respect with the players that they would always refrain from hitting a double off the wall until Vinny finished his story. We mere mortals. Before we get to the punch line or the end of the story — BOOM — someone would drive in two runs, or the inning ends and we never get to the end of a story. Not with Vinny. They wait for Vinny."