LOS ANGELES — This game had everything: legendary pitchers looking to live down local ghosts, headline stars hitting home runs to the heavens, a reliever with a circuitous backstory touching 101 mph to get out of a jam, a bit of savvy deception, good defense, bad defense, the tying run coming to the plate in the bottom of the ninth against a closer pushing past his usual limit, a fowl on the field, Cody Bellinger getting a hit.
A goose takes flight over the infield during the eighth inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, in Los Angeles.
“Satisfaction is getting the ‘W,’” Manny Machado said, sidestepping an inquiry about any extra enjoyment he derived from quieting over 53,000 hostile fans who are still mad he didn’t show enough performative hustle in his half season there four years ago with his first-inning home run. But OK, where’s the fun in that?
Austin Nola, the Padres’ catcher who debuted a personalized PitchCom for Yu Darvish’s complicated arsenal in the game, picked a fielding gem by Machado off the bat of Trea Turner in the seventh inning with runners at second and third, one of a couple missed opportunities by the Dodgers to get the tying run the final 90 feet from third to home.