Daily Clips September 28, 2016

Daily Clips September 28, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 OC REGISTER: Hunter Renfroe drives in all seven as Padres beat Dodgers, 7-1- Bill Plunkett On deck: Dodgers at Padres, Wednesday, 7 p.m.- Bill Plunkett Dodgers lineups: 'We're going to try to catch the Nationals,' Dave Roberts says- Bill Plunkett DODGERS.COM: Dodgers derailed by Padres rookie Renfroe- Carlos Collazo and Ken Gurnick Dodgers using final stretch for roster tryouts- Ken Gurnick 5 days that set the course for the Dodgers' season- Ken Gurnick Dodgers set rotation for Games 1-3 of NLDS- Ken Gurnick Urias may have inside track on NLDS Game 4- Ken Gurnick DYK: Scully has seen it all during his tenure- Matt Kelly Dodgers' play reminiscent of Roberts- Richard Justice Dodgers call on rookie De Leon in San Diego- Carlos Collazo Puig will be on postseason roster- Ken Gurnick Dodgers announce simulcast of Scully's final game- Cash Kruth O'Malley: Vin was Dodgers' greatest asset in LA- Ken Gurnick Whiff kings: Dodgers' arms setting strikeout records- Mike Petriello LA TIMES: Dodgers' NL West title celebration cut short in 7-1 loss to Padres- Andy McCullough Dodgers rookie Julio Urias is in the mix for playoff rotation- Andy McCullough DODGER INSIDER: The Legends Legend: Vin Appreciation Day- Jon Weisman Dodgers done in by big-game Hunter- Cary Osborne Dodgers revise rotation to include Julio Urías- Jon Weisman TRUEBLUELA.COM: Clayton Kershaw to start Game 1 of NLDS for Dodgers- Eric Stephen Hunter Renfroe overpowers Dodgers- Eric Stephen Julio Urias to start Thursday for Dodgers- Eric Stephen Dodgers try to end divisional road woes in final week- Eric Stephen Dodgers vs. Padres probable pitchers- Eric Stephen ESPN LA: NLDS debate: Will Dodgers' dominance of Nationals continue?- ESPN.com Free Agent value watch: Rich Hill up, Jose Bautista drops- Jim Bowden Dodgers stumble as post-clinch balancing act begins- Doug Padilla Rookie Renfroe hits slam, 3-run HR; Padres beat Dodgers, 7-1- Associated Press Dodgers' Charlie Culberson on a ride to remember- Doug Padilla Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda to start Games 1-3 of NLDS- Doug Padilla Vin Scully's single lands on itunes- ESPN.com USA TODAY: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: Yasiel Puig 'earned the right to be a major league player'- Jorge Ortiz NBC SPORTS: Still Hungover? Dodgers Drop Opener to Padres, 7-1, Two Days After Clinching NL West- Michael Duarte FANGRAPHS: We Have a Pop-Up Controversy- Jeff Sullivan FOX SPORTS: Corey Seager vs. Kris Bryant -- who is the new face of the National League?- Dieter Kurtenbach DAILY BREEZE: Vin Scully: an example in human decency for all of us- Richard Nemec CSN MID-ATLANTIC: IN A COUNTRY WHERE NO ONE AGREES ABOUT ANYTHING, EVERYONE LOVES VIN SCULLY- Rich Dubroff THE NEW YORK TIMES: Beyond Baseball, Vin Scully Leaves Behind an Archive of Oddities- Richard Sandomir TAMPA BAY TIMES: Bob Costas on Vin Scully: 'You can probably connect Vin to Abner Doubleday in three moves'- Martin Fennelly

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 OC REGISTER Hunter Renfroe drives in all seven as Padres beat Dodgers, 7-1 By Bill Plunkett SAN DIEGO The Dodgers might have something to play for this week. But they definitely have something to plan for next week. Before Hunter Renfroe hit two home runs to drive in all of the runs in a 7-1 San Diego Padres victory Tuesday night at Petco Park, the Dodgers shuffled and set their pitching plans for their National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals. Clayton Kershaw will start the series opener on Friday Oct. 7, followed by Rich Hill in Game 2 and Kenta Maeda in Game 3, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. There are no surprises in that, even though Hill will precede Kershaw this weekend and pitch Friday in San Francisco with Kershaw scheduled for Saturday. But Roberts also said rookie left-hander Julio Urias will start Thursday against the Padres and is an option to start a game during the postseason something Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman indicated was unlikely last month. The 20-year-old Urias has thrown 119 innings this season (74 in the big leagues), a big jump from his 80 innings a year ago or the career-high 87-1/3 innings he pitched in Class-A two years ago. But Roberts said Urias light usage in September (11 innings) makes a postseason start possible. It s still on the table, Roberts said. When you get into the postseason you have to go with your best. We obviously do a lot of research and studying on matchups so if at the end of the day Julio is our best matchup that makes sense then, yeah, it s worth a discussion. The more intense discussion will likely center on whether the Dodgers dare start Kershaw on three days rest in a potential Game 4 after a season that saw him spend 75 days on the DL with a herniated disc in his back. MAEDA MONEY The Dodgers also waited until Tuesday morning to announce that Maeda would start Tuesday s game in San Diego, swapping spots with rookie right-hander Jose De Leon who will start Wednesday. Roberts said the original plan was for Maeda to pitch Wednesday and then throw a simulated game next week in order to stay sharp for a Game 3 start that won t come until Oct. 10. But Roberts said Maeda expressed a preference for two regular-season starts instead Tuesday against the Padres and the regular-season finale in San Francisco on Sunday.

I felt like pitching in live situations in a live game would prepare me better than pitching in a simulated game next week, Maeda said through his interpreter. Maeda had another reason to prefer that schedule. Sunday will be his 32nd start of the season, qualifying him for another $1.5 million bonus in his pay-for-play contract. Maeda has already added $8.4 million in bonuses to his $3 million base salary. The right-hander went just four innings Tuesday as the Dodgers limited him to 60 pitches. He gave up a three-run home run to Renfroe in the first inning. Roberts said Maeda s start Sunday would be more of a normal outing. HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE With the Dodgers loss in San Diego and the Nationals 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers (90-67) fell two games behind the Nationals (92-65) for home-field advantage in their NLDS. Roberts indicated the advantage is worth playing for this week then proceeded to pull Maeda and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez after just four innings Tuesday night. Roberts said Gonzalez was bothered by a sinus infection. He also swapped Andrew Toles and Andre Ethier in left field midway through the game, looking to get Andre some at-bats. Considering the way we ve played at home this year, we ve put a lot of value on it (home-field advantage), he said before the game. It s not the end-all, be-all. But where we are right now in the won-loss, we re going to try to catch the Nationals. The chance to wrest home-field away from the Nationals incentivizes us this week, Roberts said. But the Dodgers were held to five hits by six Padres pitchers Tuesday, scoring only on Chase Utley s solo home run in the third inning. POSTSEASON PUIG Demoted and nearly traded away less than two months ago, Yasiel Puig didn t seem to fit into the Dodgers plans anymore. Now, Roberts says Puig is very much in their postseason plans after Puig s month-long Triple-A reboot and big-league return. Yasiel has self-admitted he s grown, Roberts said Tuesday. It s tough to humble yourself and check your ego and go to Oklahoma City and be a minor-league player. But he did that and he learned from it and he earned the right to be a major-league player. We talk a lot about it being a privilege to be a major-league player. To his credit, I think he really understands what that means. He s done a lot to help us win baseball games. He ll be on the postseason roster. He s earned it. Playing almost exclusively against left-handed pitching since his return, Puig has gone 10 for 41 (.244) in September with four home runs and 10 RBI in 18 games. On deck: Dodgers at Padres, Wednesday, 7 p.m. By Bill Plunkett

Where: Petco Park TV: SNLA (where available) Did you know? Dodgers pitchers lead the majors in strikeouts and have set a new single-season record, topping the mark of 1,450 set by the Cleveland Indians in 2014. THE PITCHERS DODGERS RHP JOSE DE LEON (2-0, 5.52 ERA) Vs. Padres: 1-0, 4.50 ERA At Petco Park: Has never pitched there before. Hates to face: Yangervis Solarte, 2 for 2, 1 home run Loves to face: Ryan Schimpf, 0 for 3, 3 strikeouts PADRES RHP LUIS PERDOMO (8-10, 5.59 ERA) Vs. Dodgers: 0-3, 8.53 ERA At Petco Park: 3-5, 6.08 ERA Hates to face: Josh Reddick, 3 for 3, 1 home run Loves to face: Joc Pederson, 1 for 5 (.200), 2 strikeouts UPCOMING MATCHUPS Thursday: Dodgers LHP Julio Urias (5-2, 3.53 ERA) at Padres LHP Christian Friedrich (5-11, 4.66 ERA), 6:10 p.m. SNLA Dodgers lineups: 'We're going to try to catch the Nationals,' Dave Roberts says By Bill Plunkett SAN DIEGO -- With their fourth consecutive NL West title clinched, the Dodgers have a decision to make -- spend this week resting and preparing for the first round of the playoffs or keep pushing in hopes of landing homefield advantage in that NL Division Series against the Washington Nationals. Going into Tuesday's games, the Dodgers (90-66) were just one game behind the Nationals (91-65) and won the season series (5-1) so they only have to match the Nats' final record to game homefield in their best-of-five series. "I think considering the way we've played at home this year, we've put a lot of value on it (homefield advantage)," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "It's not the end-all, be-all. But where we are right now in the won-loss, we're going to try to catch the Nationals." Things are lining up their favor. The Nationals lost their starting catcher and one of their best hitters, Wilson Ramos, to a season-ending knee injury over the weekend. Two other key players, last year's NL MVP Bryce Harper and NLDS 2015 thorn in the Dodgers' side Daniel Murphy, are playing hurt. And righthander Stephen Strasburg has been declared "unlikely" for the NLDS by Nats GM Mike Rizzo. "I think regardless of their injuries we still had that mindset to go after them," Roberts said. "It does have us looking at them in the sense of how we're going to prepare and field the best team possible with respect to their injuries. It changes the landscape of their club. "But they're still a very good club."

The fact that the Dodgers have something to shoot for this week rather than just playing out the string is a good thing, Roberts also said. "I think for us it's about playing good baseball and remaining sharp and not to get complacent and lose that edge," Roberts said. "I've been on teams where teams continued to keep that momentum and teams that went the other way. I think knowing we have something really important to play for incentivizes us." Dodgers derailed by Padres rookie Renfroe By Carlos Collazo and Ken Gurnick DODGERS.COM SAN DIEGO -- The National League West-champion Dodgers resumed play Tuesday night and ran into Padres rookie Hunter Renfroe, who homered twice and drove in all the runs in a 7-1 loss that diminished the Dodgers' chances of securing the home-field advantage over the Nationals in the NL Division Series. "[Renfroe] was going against matchups that didn't really favor him today," said Padres manager Andy Green, who talked about how Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda would be a challenge for Renfroe before the game. "He hit two home runs and drove in seven, so it was a pretty spectacular day." Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before the game said he wanted his club to remain sharp this week, not get complacent or lose the edge after clinching on Sunday. But the momentum swung to the Padres in the first inning on Renfroe's three-run homer. "I've known Hunter from when I was over here," said Roberts, who was San Diego's bench coach before joining the Dodgers this year. "He's got big power, a toolsy player, and we left balls over the plate elevated. Do that to a guy with power and it's going to happen, and he had a big night." Maeda went four innings, allowing the three runs on Renfroe's first homer, and fell to 16-10. "After the first inning, Kenta was good. He was missing with the breaking ball a little bit, left a breaking ball up to Renfroe, and he hit a homer. After that, he had strikeouts and soft contact. I told him it was a positive outing." Maeda was removed after four innings, having reached a 60-pitch limit, and will start on Sunday in San Francisco with no pitch limitations in a final tuneup for Game 3 of the NL Division Series. Chase Utley homered and doubled off Padres starter Paul Clemens (4-5), who went five innings to pick up the win. Washington beat Arizona on Tuesday night, increasing their lead over the Dodgers to two games with five to play. The Dodgers hold the tiebreaker. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Hunter's high homer: Padres fans have heard more about Renfroe's power than they've seen so far, but they're likely impressed after seeing his display on Tuesday. San Diego's No. 3 prospect got the Friars on the board with a three-run homer in the first that traveled a Statcast-estimated 380 feet with a steep 41-degree launch angle. Among Padres, only Ryan Schimpf and Alex Dickerson have also hit homers with launch angles that high this season.

"He can hit anything," said Green. "He just has to get them over the plate, and when he does that, he does as much damage as anybody we have." Take me along: Dodgers lefty Alex Wood, making a late run for an October roster spot as a reliever after missing most of the season with elbow surgery, pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning with two strikeouts in relief of Maeda. "After having surgery and coming back with two clean innings, the velocity is good and the offspeed is good, he's getting righties and lefties out," said Roberts. "Alex worked really hard to come back. To be in the mix says a lot about Alex." Lost the battle: The Dodgers had the bases loaded with one out in the sixth against reliever Jose Torres, but Yasmani Grandal flied out to right field and Josh Reddick popped up to end a 10-pitch at-bat. The Dodgers went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10 runners. Emotional start for Clemens: Clemens was pulled after just five innings and 64 pitches, despite holding the Dodgers to one run on three hits. Green was happy with Clemens' outing, but wanted to be safe with the young pitcher who is expected to start the final game of the season. For his part, Clemens said this was the most difficult outing of the year. "I've had [Jose Fernandez] on my mind a lot the last couple days," Clemens said. "You know, my wife just kept putting him in my face, putting him in my face until I couldn't take it any more. I cried yesterday, but it's just tough. So this was probably the toughest start by far, just thinking about him." QUOTABLE "Considering the way we played at home, I put a lot on it. It's not the end all and be all, but we're going to try to catch the Nationals. For us, it's about playing good baseball and remaining sharp and not to get complacent and lose that edge." -- Roberts, on trying to beat the Nationals for the home-field advantage in the NL Division Series SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS After his eighth-inning grand slam, Renfroe became one of 10 Padres batters to have seven or more RBIs in one game, and he is the only rookie to do it. He was one RBI shy of tying the franchise record held by Ken Caminiti (1995) and Nate Colbert (1972). The most recent seven-rbi game from a San Diego hitter was from Brian Giles, in 2006. WHAT'S NEXT Dodgers: Jose De Leon gets the start in Wednesday's 7:10 p.m. PT matchup. De Leon beat the Padres on Sept. 4 in Los Angeles in his Major League debut, allowing four runs (three earned) in six innings with nine strikeouts. His most recent start was in Arizona on Sept. 18, when he allowed six runs (four earned) in 3 2/3 innings. Padres: San Diego Rule 5 pick Luis Perdomo makes his final start of his rookie season on Tuesday. The 23-year-old has become one of the Padres' most consistent starters after being stashed in the bullpen at the start of the year. His 61.3 percent ground-ball rate is the highest in baseball among starters with at least 50 innings pitched.

Dodgers using final stretch for roster tryouts By Ken Gurnick SAN DIEGO -- If the 157th game of the season for the Dodgers on Tuesday night looked more like a late Spring Training tryout for roster spots, well, it was. Even though the Dodgers are alive for the home-field advantage in the National League Division Series against Washington, Dave Roberts managed the Dodgers' 7-1 loss to the Padres in a way that put certain players who are on the bubble in the kind of situations they might see in October. Consider the contrasting plights of pitchers Alex Wood and Louis Coleman. Rough times for Coleman continued, as he walked Wil Myers and Yangervis Solarte in the eighth inning before serving up a grand slam to Hunter Renfroe, who had already slugged a three-run homer off Kenta Maeda in the first. "We've seen Coleman in spots be very good, at other times, not so good," said Roberts. "In that situation, as we see what we have with guys going forward, I wanted to see him get out a middle of the order bat, but he walks Myers and Solarte and gets to the No. 5 hitter and he gives up a home run. It comes down to Louis has got to make pitches." The middle innings that Coleman had been given earlier in the year now seem to be going to righthanders Josh Fields, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning, or Jesse Chavez. Roberts also tested starter Brock Stewart in relief in this game, getting a scoreless sixth inning. From the left side, while Grant Dayton struck out two of the three batters he faced, a late entrant into the fray for a bullpen spot is Wood, primarily a starting pitcher who is coming off May elbow surgery and has accepted a relief role because his comeback timetable didn't allow for enough innings to rebuild back into a starter. In two relief appearances since returning from arthroscopic clean-up surgery, Wood has two scoreless innings, striking out two in a perfect inning against San Diego. Roberts said Wood is in the mix to make the postseason bullpen. "That's what I'm trying to do," said Wood. "When I got hurt, I was in as good a place as I've been in a while commanding the ball where I wanted to. Today it was like before I got hurt. I felt then like I figured it out, made an adjustment in my mechanics so I can repeat them and I've been sharp so far. "I haven't thrown back to back yet. That's probably the last hurdle. I'm just trying to do my part. I told them last week, I'm ready to come back and help in whatever way they see fit and want to use me." Roberts also made some unconventional moves with position players during the game, lifting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and left fielder Andrew Toles in the fifth inning. Gonzalez came out with a sinus infection, said Roberts, who replaced him with Howie Kendrick. Toles gave way because Roberts wanted to get at-bats for Andre Ethier, trying to fight his way back into relevance after missing most of the year with a broken leg. "As you saw tonight, normally wouldn't have taken Toles out as early as did, but l wanted to get Andre at-bats and it nice to see him get a walk and be competitive," Roberts said.

5 days that set the course for the Dodgers' season By Ken Gurnick The Dodgers overcame an unprecedented wave of injuries, and an eight-game deficit in late June, to win their fourth consecutive National League West division title with a fourth consecutive 90-plus-win season, all under the direction of first-year manager Dave Roberts. Here are five key days in the club's improbable journey. 1. June 26: Clayton Kershaw lost in Pittsburgh, suffered a back injury that would sideline him for 2 1/2 months and the Dodgers fell eight games out of first place. But instead of folding, the Dodgers won seven of the next eight games and embraced the theme of a resilient squad determined to overcome any obstacle. 2. April 6: Kenta Maeda failed his physical, coming out of Japan and into the season an unknown. Throwing six scoreless innings and adding a home run in his debut set a reassuring tone that continued throughout the season as Maeda proved to be the rotation workhorse, making a smooth and consistent transition to the Major Leagues. 3. June 16: Justin Turner called out Yasmani Grandal in the dugout for a baserunning mistake, a carryover from a spontaneous postgame meeting with Roberts after a series loss in San Francisco four days earlier. The Dodgers lost the night of the argument, but then reeled off a six-game win streak that seemed to signal an awakening. 4. Aug. 2: Polarizing focal point Yasiel Puig was demoted to the Minor Leagues. The goal was to deliver a wake-up call to the talented but undisciplined Puig. A side benefit was the statement to the clubhouse that no player was bigger than the team. Josh Reddick, acquired to replace Puig, struggled early, creating playing time for rookie Andrew Toles, whose dramatic game-winning grand slam in the ninth inning of the nightcap of a Colorado doubleheader prevented a series sweep when the race was still close. 5. Sept. 25: It was a Hollywood ending for Vin Scully's Dodger Stadium farewell, an extra-inning walkoff homer to clinch. The hero was journeyman Charlie Culberson, beating one of his former clubs, Colorado, and eliminating another, San Francisco, from NL West title contention. The ending symbolized that on any given day, virtually any of the 40 active players could step up and win a game. Dodgers set rotation for Games 1-3 of NLDS By Ken Gurnick SAN DIEGO -- Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda will start the first three games of the National League Division Series against Washington, manager Dave Roberts announced on Tuesday. Kershaw will pitch Game 1 on Oct. 7, Hill Game 2 on Oct. 8 and Maeda Game 3 on Oct. 10. Roberts would not name a Game 4 starter but said 20-year-old rookie Julio Urias is "on the table." Urias makes his third start of September on Thursday night in San Diego.

Kershaw, whose scheduled start on Saturday in San Francisco is his fifth since returning from 2 1/2 months on the disabled list (herniated disk), will have six days until he opens the series with the Nationals. Kershaw said he was given the choice of pitching Friday or Saturday and chose Saturday because he didn't want to go a full week between starts. Hill is scheduled to start on Friday in San Francisco, giving him eight days until Game 2 of the series, allowing his finger blisters extra time to rebound. Hill is starting Friday on nine days' rest. The lefty has made five starts for the Dodgers. His ERA in three starts with at least six days off is 0.00. His ERA in two starts with four days off is 4.35. Maeda, originally scheduled to pitch Wednesday night in San Diego, was moved up a day by Roberts so he could also start Sunday's regular-season finale. Roberts said that was Maeda's preference, to minimize the down time before his NLDS start. Coincidentally, squeezing in another start will give Maeda 32 this season, earning him a $1.5 million performance bonus that would bring his 2016 salary, which had a base of $3 million, to $12.9 million. "What Kenta's done for us, in the spirit of the contract, if he performs and he posts, he's going to be compensated," said Roberts. "I applaud our organization. He's taking care of his family and he deserves it." While it now appears Urias is the front-runner as fourth starter in the postseason, the Dodgers could also consider Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy, Jose De Leon, Brock Stewart or Ross Stripling. Urias may have inside track on NLDS Game 4 By Ken Gurnick SAN DIEGO -- Julio Urias is a starting pitcher again. For the past month, Dodgers management had insisted that heavy usage on the 20-year-old's left arm required him to be a reliever for the rest of the season. But manager Dave Roberts did a reversal on Tuesday, naming Urias to start Thursday night in San Diego and saying he was "still on the table" to be the fourth starter in the postseason. "We've monitored his innings the second half of the season, and that's allowed him to get the start Thursday," said Roberts. "From that point on, we'll decide what makes sense for the postseason." The Dodgers on Tuesday named Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda, in that order, for Games 1-3 of the National League Division Series. Urias is 5-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 14 starts and three relief appearances. He has 74 innings with the Dodgers this year and 45 at Triple-A for a total of 119, with an unconfirmed target of around 125 for the season. But he's thrown only 11 innings since Aug. 27, with his last start Sept. 13 at Yankee Stadium for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. "You get into the postseason, you've got to go with your best," said Roberts. "Because we've been so mindful of his usage, we do a lot of studying of matchups, and if at the end of the day it's the best matchup and it makes sense, it's worth a discussion.

"What kept Julio in play, there were times we felt we could have pushed his innings more, but because we didn't and had other guys step up in that role, it's given us this flexibility. To see him take the mound as a starter is a good thing for us." Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy, Brock Stewart, Ross Stripling and Jose De Leon (Wednesday night's starter) have all made September starts that could have gone to Urias. DYK: Scully has seen it all during his tenure By Matt Kelly Sunday afternoon will mark one of baseball's most heartfelt goodbyes and the end of an era when legendary broadcaster Vin Scully will call his final game. As the voice of the Dodgers for 67 consecutive years -- a run unmatched in baseball as well as any professional sport -- Scully's consistency, grace and, most of all, talent leaves behind a legacy that will likely go unchallenged in the broadcasting ranks for generations to come. The sheer amount of time and games (which surely number in the tens of thousands) that Scully has seen and spent in baseball can boggle the mind -- especially when you consider that the luminaries he first watched and spoke to when he debuted on WMGM radio back in 1950 likely leaves him (and, through his stories, all of us) perhaps only one or two degrees separated from the very origins of professional baseball. For an idea of just how much change Scully has seen in the game and, indeed, the world, since we first heard his voice on the air, consider the following (all stats through Monday's games): The Major Leagues featured just 16 teams in Scully's debut 1950 season. Six of those clubs (Athletics, Braves, Browns, Dodgers Giants, Senators) would eventually move to new cities during Scully's tenure. Two of them (Browns, Senators) went on to change their name completely, and another two (Athletics, Braves) would actually move twice during the time Scully called games. Of the 14 ballparks that hosted big league games in 1950, only two remain standing and still host their teams: Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. Scully began as a radio voice, of course, well before he began calling World Series games for NBC in the 1980s and manning Dodgers games on regional television, as he does now. The first televised Major League game was broadcast in 1939 -- 11 years before Scully's debut -- with his mentor Red Barber making the call. The World Series would not receive its first coast-to-coast television treatment until 1951, setting the stage for Scully to call a record 25 Fall Classics. In 1950, the Brooklyn Dodgers placed sixth in Major League attendance, drawing a total of nearly 1,186,000 fans -- about one-third of the team's projected attendance in 2016, which finished at 3,703,312. A meteoric rise in player salary has accompanied those expanded gate receipts and television revenues. According to the Society for Baseball Research (SABR), the highest paid player in Scully's debut 1950 season was the Yankees' Joe DiMaggio, who earned a cool $100,000. While that figure would place DiMaggio among the social elite in his day, it equals just 0.3 percent of the $34 million salary paid to 2016's highest-grossing player, Clayton Kershaw, who has made each of his home starts beneath Scully's broadcast booth. The 1950 Dodgers ballclub with which Scully began his broadcasting career was a deeply talented squad that featured four future Hall of Fame players (Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider) along with Hall of Fame executives Walter O'Malley and Branch Rickey. The actual National

Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., had been dedicated just 11 years before Scully's debut. The year 1950 featured the first Baseball Writers' Association of America vote in which no one was selected for induction to the Hall of Fame. That left the Hall's fraternity at that time steady at 50 members -- just a fraction of the 312 members that it consists of now. An even more exclusive club in the Hall of Fame includes winners of the Ford C. Frick Award, which recognizes excellence in baseball broadcasting. That award would not be established for another 28 years after Scully's debut. Beginning with Robinson courageously breaking the color barrier in 1947, Major League Baseball was in a state of transition in Scully's debut season as clubs began to open up roster spots for African- American players. Still, by the end of 1950, just five of the 16 big league clubs had integrated -- signaling the mammoth change in the game that occurred during Scully's first decades behind the mic. To picture how much batters' approaches have changed through the years, consider this: Only two batters struck out at least 100 times in Scully's inaugural 1950 season, while there are already 126 batters with at least 100 strikeouts in 2016. The Orioles' Chris Davis, who leads the big leagues with 210 punchouts, has an outside chance to double the total of 1950 strikeout leader Roy Smalley of the Cubs. Smalley finished the '50 campaign with just strikeouts. One thing that has certainly changed for Scully is how many pitching changes he's had to keep track of. Big league relief pitchers have combined to make 14,708 appearances this year, more than five times the amount of appearances relievers made in 1950 (2,769). Starting pitchers are averaging 5 2/3 innings per game in 2016, a full inning less than when Scully started. Major League pitchers also combined to toss 997 complete games in 1950, while pitchers in 2016 have combined for only 81 complete games and will likely not reach a total of 100 for the first time in modern baseball history. Scully is also getting many more chances to perfect his home run calls in 2016 than he did in 1950. Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner paced the Major Leagues with 47 homers that season, which at the time was just the 19th time in modern baseball history in which a player had hit at least 45 home runs. In the past 20 years alone, the 45-homer plateau has been surpassed 70 times, and a handful of players have a chance to pass it again by the end of this season. When Scully began calling Dodgers games, Babe Herman held the franchise's single-season record for home runs with 35 in 1930. That figure has been equaled or surpassed by a Dodgers player 17 times in the 67 seasons that Scully has broadcast their games. Major League teams hit an average of 0.84 home runs per game in 1950, while this season we're seeing teams club an average of 1.16 roundtrippers per game -- a rate that would finish just behind the 2000 campaign (1.17) for the highest in history. A perfect game was just about the rarest event in baseball when Scully began his career. There had been just five perfect games recorded through the history of baseball -- and none since Charlie Robertson's in 1922 -- when Scully called his first game. Scully would be behind the mic, of course, when the Yankees' Don Larsen broke the drought with the only perfect game in World Series history against the Dodgers on Oct. 8, 1956 -- a performance that the Brooklyn broadcaster dubbed "the greatest game ever pitched in history" live on the air as catcher Yogi Berra ran to hug the pitcher. Scully went on to call a total of 20 no-hitters and two more perfect games: the first by Sandy Koufax in 1965, a call by Scully that many consider to be their favorite, and again for Expos pitcher Dennis Martinez's perfecto in '91. The average age of the Dodgers' 25-man roster on Opening Day was 28.6 years old, which would date back to an average birth date of September 1987. The last player on a Dodgers roster who was alive

when Scully made his broadcast debut was catcher Rick Dempsey, who was born on Sept. 13, 1949, and he played his last game in a Dodgers uniform on Sept. 28, 1990. Dodgers' play reminiscent of Roberts By Richard Justice Dave Roberts played for five teams during a 10-year Major League career. He was a full-time player for just three of those seasons. Here's the point: Nothing came easy for Roberts. To stay on a roster, he had to sweat the small stuff: defense, baserunning, etc. Roberts understood that baseball games typically are won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes. And maybe that's the larger story of these Los Angeles Dodgers, who on Sunday clinched their fourth straight National League West championship. This time, the Dodgers did it under a rookie manager, Roberts, who somehow got his team to see and play the game the way he played it. "Don't they say a team takes on the personality of its manager?" third baseman Justin Turner said. That's exactly what they say. "Everything we do starts with Doc," Turner said, referring to Roberts' nickname. That Los Angeles entered this week's series in San Diego 90-66 is remarkable considering that its roster has been a revolving door. The club placed 28 players on the disabled list, the most in the Majors since at least 1987. The Dodgers have used 55 players, tying a franchise record, and 31 pitchers, also a record. Roberts gave at least 10 starts to five left fielders and at least 20 to three right fielders. Los Angeles used 15 starting pitchers. Clayton Kershaw, the best pitcher on earth, spent 76 days on the DL. In the second half of the season, the Dodgers had five relievers and six starting pitchers on the DL at a time. Somehow, the Dodgers rolled to another division championship. They did it because president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman assembled an extraordinarily deep staff. Roberts started a rookie pitcher 66 times and got 30 victories, the most since 1952. But The Dodgers played the game the way their manager played it. First, they didn't allow themselves to be discouraged by the injuries. "No one was going to feel sorry for us," Roberts said, "and we certainly weren't going to feel sorry for ourselves."

The Dodgers showed up each day and figured they always had enough in their clubhouse to win. They had long, competitive at-bats. They made just 74 errors, the fourth fewest in the Majors. Only the Cubs had a better Defensive Efficiency Ratio, according to MLB.com. Los Angeles may not have a single Gold Glove winner, but everyone on its infield was above average. Offensively, the Dodgers did that a different way, too. Only this was by design. Only four position players got 500 at-bats -- shortstop Corey Seager, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, second baseman Chase Utley and Turner. Otherwise, Roberts mixed and matched his lineups to find advantageous matchups. Sure, some players would have preferred more playing time. On the other hand, it's impossible to argue with success. The Dodgers averaged five runs per game after the All-Star break, the third most in the Majors. On June 26, the Dodgers trailed the Giants by eight games. Since then, Los Angeles is 49-30, the thirdbest record in the Majors. (San Francisco has gone 33-46 during that stretch.) Dodgers pitchers have a solid 3.80 ERA in these 79 games. Offensively, they've watched rookie Seager put MVP-caliber numbers on the board (.313 batting average, 26 home runs, 72 RBIs). Catcher Yasmani Grandal has 21 home runs in his past 67 games. Turner (16), Gonzalez (11), center fielder Joc Pederson (11) and Seager (10) have all hit double-digit home runs in this stretch. Kershaw returned in time to get four playoff tuneup starts in September, and he was as good as ever: 0.86 ERA with one walk, 23 strikeouts in 21 innings. Roberts said Tuesday that Los Angeles will line up veteran left-hander Rich Hill, acquired from Oakland at the Trade Deadline, and rookie Kenta Maeda behind Kershaw in the NL Division Series. The Cubs are consensus favorites to win the NL, and the Dodgers might not even be favored to get by the Nationals in the NLDS. Through all the injuries and the sprint to the NL West championship, the Dodgers have developed both toughness and resiliency. There's also a quiet confidence. "It's unbelievable how many guys have contributed to get where we are," Roberts said. "Those guys love each other. They love the city, the organization, especially they love the fans." Dodgers call on rookie De Leon in San Diego By Carlos Collazo With the Dodgers still vying for home-field advantage in the National League Division Series vs. the Nationals, Jose De Leon starts against Padres Rule 5 Draft pick Luis Perdomo in a matchup of rookie pitchers on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles is two games behind Washington with five games to play. De Leon was originally scheduled to start the opener on Tuesday, but was pushed back to get an extra day of rest. The 24-year-old was solid during his first two career starts, but took a bit of a step backwards in his most recent, when he allowed six runs over 3 2/3 innings vs. the D-backs. Perdomo is making his final start of the season, after becoming arguably the biggest surprise of the San Diego pitching staff this season. Since the start of August, the 23-year-old has posted a 3.79 ERA, while being one of the most consistent arms on the team. "They way I thought of it was: If they're going to give me that chance, I'm going to make the most of it," Perdomo said. Things to know about this game De Leon could be pitching for an opportunity to be in the postseason rotation. Fellow options Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson have made just one start this month, while Scott Kazmir left his latest start after one inning with intercostal spasms. Thursday's starter Julio Urias, however, may have the inside track on the open fourth spot. Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig has faced Perdomo eight times and is hitting.714 (5-for-7) with a triple, four runs and three RBIs. Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte extended his hitting streak to 12 games on Tuesday night after singling in the first inning against Kenta Maeda. Puig will be on postseason roster By Ken Gurnick SAN DIEGO -- Yasiel Puig will be on the Dodgers' postseason roster, manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday. Roberts said the depth of the club's roster will present some difficult decisions, but the call has already been made that Puig, who was demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City for most of August, will be on the 25- man roster for the National League Division Series that starts Oct. 7 against Washington. "Yasiel has self-admitted he's grown," said Roberts. "It's tough to humble yourself and check your ego and go to Oklahoma City and be a Minor League player, but he did that and he learned from it and earned the right to be a Major League player. We talk about it being a privilege to be a Major League player. I think to his credit, he really understands what that means. He's done a lot to help us win a lot of baseball games. He'll be on the postseason roster, and he's earned it." Puig was sent to the Minors on Aug. 2 after the acquisition of Josh Reddick, and recalled Sept. 2. He has been primarily a platoon player this month, starting against left-handed pitching. Since his return, he has four home runs in 17 games. Dodgers announce simulcast of Scully's final game By Cash Kruth

Vin Scully's final broadcast on Sunday will be simulcast in its entirety on SPECTRUM SportsNetLA, KTLA and AM 570 LA Sports. Scully, whose 67 years of consecutive service with the Dodgers' organization is the longest of any sports broadcaster with one team, will broadcast his final game Sunday in San Francisco. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. PT. "We wanted to make sure that all of Vin's fans are able to share in his final Dodgers broadcast of an incredible 67-year Hall of Fame career," Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen said. "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 Dodgers, IHEART Media 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," said Don Martin, IHEART Media Los Angeles senior vice president, sports. "We also want to thank Dodgers 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." The Giants also have a tribute planned for Scully at AT&T Park on Sunday, and they will simulcast his call of the third inning on KNBR 680 radio and on CSN Bay Area. O'Malley: Vin was Dodgers' greatest asset in LA By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- He has known Vin Scully for the legendary broadcaster's entire 67-year career, was Scully's employer for three decades, and they were roommates on a goodwill trip to Japan when Dwight Eisenhower was president. So Peter O'Malley knows the man as well as anyone, and he explained why Scully became the voice of the franchise and an icon in this city. "In a word, Vin is genuine; that's the perfect word," said O'Malley, who was in the front row of dignitaries during the stirring pregame ceremony on Scully Appreciation Night. "Genuine, that is Vin, through and through. It's the way he is with work and the way he is with fans. "There's no baloney there. He's very sincere, very thoughtful, and I think that's one of the reasons he's so popular. It's not just his talent behind the microphone, but it's the person that he is. He's a genuine good guy. I can't think of anyone more genuine, and that comes through in his work, or if you just met him in the elevator. That's him, and people see that and know that." And O'Malley, having been president for nearly three decades of the club his family owned for nearly a half-century, credits Scully for helping make the Dodgers what they became. "Having Vin communicate to the public for 200 days or 100 days or whatever -- he was the most important piece to the Dodgers' puzzle, ever since we came to L.A.," said O'Malley. "He was our spokesperson, even more than managers Walter Alston or Tommy Lasorda. No one was more important to our acceptance when we arrived, and no one has been more important since, than Vin."

If a man is judged by the company he keeps, consider the company Scully keeps. "The thing I treasure most is that I call him friend," said Sandy Koufax, whose first game called by Scully was in 1955. Former Dodgers manager Joe Torre remembers being a visiting player at Dodger Stadium in the 1960s. "You'd be in the batter's box, and you would hear him on all of the transistor radios," Torre recalled. "It was the strangest thing -- hearing the broadcast of your own at-bat while it was happening. It only happened at Dodger Stadium, because of Vin. And in a way, it would sort of take the sting out of a strikeout. He sounded so nice." Scully was at the mic for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 1981 and '88, his description of Kirk Gibson's "impossible" home run being voted by fans as the greatest call of his career. Gibson participated in Scully's Appreciation Night via a video, crediting the announcer for getting him off the training table to make history. "I had Ernie Harwell [in Detroit] and Vin Scully, who are both Hall of Famers, and they became great friends and they gave me great wisdom and advice, even if I didn't deserve it," said Gibson. "Thanks for helping inspire me to put on this uniform that night, and thanks for telling the story of our sport for so many years. It's an honor for me to have your voice attached to the soundtrack of my career. Vinny, congratulations on your career -- you're the best." Carl Erskine, in a written tribute to Scully, said the familiar comfort of Scully's voice made the move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles easier for the transplanted players. Maury Wills said Scully helped inspire him to be aggressive on the bases when he would call Wills "The mouse that roared." Ron Cey said he's still amazed how Scully could handle broadcasts as a "one-man show" 40 years ago, as well as today. Like so many fans of so many generations, Scully always reminds Eric Karros of his father. "For me, growing up in San Diego, my dad was a Dodgers fan, and he would listen to Scully on the radio every night," said Karros, whol played with the Dodgers from 1991-2002. "He'd be in his office, and I would come in and lay on the floor every night and we'd listen to Vin broadcast the games. That represents the relationship with my dad. It will always be an important part of my life." Remember how Shawn Green, a Dodgers outfielder from 2000-04, would throw his batting gloves to kids in the stands after hitting a home run? Thank Scully for that one. "My first month as a Dodger, and one day I noticed a rip in a batting glove and I hit a home run, and when I came back to the dugout, I threw the glove to a kid," said Green. "When Vin saw me do that, he said, 'Well, that must be something Shawn Green does when he hits a home run.' I mean, I was new to the team and he didn't know. He's watching and trying to understand who I was. "It got to the point where I would hit a home run and immediately kids would come running down the aisles to get a batting glove. That was a really cool aspect to my career. It one of those little connection points between me and the fans that are really meaningful. In fact, it's probably at the top of the list. I've had 30-year-olds come up to me and thank me for throwing them a glove."

You've probably heard stories about kids with transistor radios tucked under their pillows listening to Scully until they fell asleep. Here's one about an active player. "I used to come home every night and watched the replays late at night, and his voice literally put me to sleep every night," said Eric Gagne, the 2003 National League Cy Young Award-winning closer who pitched for the Dodgers from 1999-2006. "It was like a soothing voice, relaxing -- almost like warm milk does to babies. "He was the Dodgers and will always be the biggest name in Dodger history. Riding the bus to the fields or to airports after a game, I would listen to all the amazing stories he had. It was an honor to have him say, 'Bienvenue Monsieur Gagne.' That's what my kids remember from when I pitched. They don't remember me pitching, they only remember Vin." One of Scully's inimitable skills is his timing, right down to his retirement, even if fans find it bittersweet. "There is nothing bitter; It's all happy," said O'Malley. "He's stepping aside at the right time. Everybody wants one more year. It's the right time to say goodbye, with his health good. A perfect time. I think the club has put together a great tribute to him -- well deserved -- and he's enjoying it." Whiff kings: Dodgers' arms setting strikeout records By Mike Petriello With just a handful of games remaining in the season, the Dodgers are on track to set a pair of all-time strikeout records. Somehow, that's both extremely impressive and far less impressive than you'd think. Given how much baseball has changed over the decades, it's always complicated to make comparisons between today's teams and those that played a generation or two before the American flag even had 50 stars. Still, let's run down the top-line facts before we get into some explanations. This year's Dodgers have indeed done better than any pitching staff ever at two important strikeout numbers: 1. The 2016 Dodgers have struck out 25.2 percent of the hitters they've faced, the best mark of the 2,196 team seasons dating back to 1916, when reliable records were first kept. (Strikeout percentage is a far more reliable metric than strikeouts per nine inning, though the Dodgers have that record, too.) 2. The 2016 Dodgers have struck out 1,459 hitters, also the most of any team in the past century, breaking the record of 1,450 by the Indians in 2014. Those are big numbers, and they're even more impressive when you realize that Clayton Kershaw missed more than two months, and that due to a record-setting number of trips to the disabled list, they've used 31 pitchers and 15 starters -- both also team records. Of the 46 other teams in the divisional play era (since 1969) to use at least 15 starters, 45 failed to make the playoffs, with the only exception being last year's Dodgers. By all rights, this staff should have collapsed in a sea of Nick Tepesches and Brock Stewarts. Instead, they set a strikeout record and won the National League West for the fourth straight year. Now, for the obvious caveat here: Everyone is striking out more. You already knew this, of course, but it's an important point. Major League Baseball set a record by striking out 17.5 percent of the time in 2008, and it's gone up (or stayed steady) every year since, to this year's high of 21.1 percent. At some point it seems like there has to be a tipping point, but we haven't reached it yet.

So the 2016 Dodgers have struck out more hitters more often than any pitching staff ever, but they're also pitching in an extremely strikeout-friendly climate. If we really want to see what they've done compared to their historic peers, we need to see how their whiff performance rates compared to the MLB average for that season. That is, their 25.2 percent strikeout rate looks a lot different compared to 2016's overall average of 21.1 percent than it does compared to 1946's 9.3 percent. That being the case, let's look back at all of those 2,196 seasons and see which teams had the largest differences, in percentage points, over the MLB average for that year. Compared to the MLB average strikeout rate for that season, the 2016 Dodgers are one of the 20 top teams of the last century. (For simplicity, we're treating the American League and the NL as the same, despite the presence of the designated hitter. Both leagues had pitchers batting through 1972, and daily Interleague Play has smoothed out some of the differences between the leagues, so we'll live with that minor flaw for now.) A huge majority of teams, just over 82 percent, fall within two percentage points either way of the Major League strikeout average for that season. The lowest team was the 2012 Twins, who had a 15.2 percent strikeout rate in a season where the bigs whiffed 19.8 percent of batters, and that makes sense given Minnesota's annual issues finding pitchers who can miss bats. As for this year's Dodgers, that ranking of 20th may not be as exciting as "first," but it's still in the top one percent of every team for more than a century, and some of those other clubs on the list are extremely impressive company. Those 2001-'04 Cubs, for example, had at various points some of the the best years that Kerry Wood and Mark Prior ever put up, along with underrated great relief seasons from Tom Gordon and Kyle Farnsworth. The 2002-03 D-backs had Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, plus better bullpens than you remember. Some of the other Dodgers teams on this list prominently featured Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, or Eric Gagne's historic 2003. It's all the more impressive considering the doom-and-gloom atmosphere that seemed to surround the rotation last offseason when Zack Greinke departed for Arizona, David Price landed in Boston rather than Los Angeles, and Hisashi Iwakuma's deal was voided after he failed a physical. Then Brett Anderson hurt his back, Alex Wood hurt his elbow, Hyun-Jin Ryu never really made it back, Brandon McCarthy is still struggling to do so, Kershaw missed so much time, and well, you know the litany of issues by now. Julio Urias strikeout All of which is to say, it's been a team effort. There have been 24 Dodgers pitchers to throw at least 10 innings, headed into Tuesday night's game, and 19 of them have a strikeout rate that's above the 21.1 percent Major League average. There's Kershaw, of course, but also Kenley Jansen (41.6 percent), having the best season of an already great career, and whiffing more hitters than even Aroldis Chapman (39.7 percent). There's rookie Grant Dayton (38.3 percent), acquired from Miami in a little-noticed trade for Chris Reed last July, who has whiffed 36 in 24 2/3 innings, and Adam Liberatore (27.1 percent), acquired himself as what looked like a small part of 2014's Joel Peralta / Jose Dominguez trade. There's Joe Blanton (25.7 percent), who had actually retired in 2014. And of course there's Rich Hill (33.8 percent), Pedro Baez (28.3), Kenta Maeda (25.1), Julio Urias (24.4) and others too. Without context, the Dodgers have the all-time strikeout record. With it, they're still in the top one percent of teams over the past century. It might not sound as exciting; it still matters, a lot. Even among a strikeout-friendly climate, this team racks up the whiffs.