Crawford’s snag, Longoria’s blast give SF Giants NLDS lead over Dodgers, Scherzer

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LOS ANGELES — Brandon Crawford knows a thing or two about taking the air out of a stadium.

Seven years after Crawford’s tie-breaking grand slam sucked the life out of a sold-out PNC Park in Pittsburgh during the National League wild card game, his leaping snag of a 100-mile per hour line drive off the bat of Dodgers star Mookie Betts saved a run and ultimately the game for the Giants in Game 3 of the NLDS on Monday.

With 53,299 screaming fans on their feet in the seventh inning, Crawford stole a potential game-tying base hit from Betts and helped the Giants to a 1-0 victory that gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

“The biggest defensive play of the game, without a doubt,” said third baseman Evan Longoria, who had a front-row seat.

Crawford’s glove, Longoria’s bat and nine shutout innings from a pitching staff led by starter Alex Wood carried the Giants to a road win against the Dodgers and ace Max Scherzer.

 

Conditions akin to the ones the rivals long faced inside the confines at Candlestick Park took over Chavez Ravine and undoubtedly played a role in Monday’s outcome.

“I was talking to a few guys, I mean I hardly even remember light breeze here most nights,” Crawford said. “So the wind was definitely pretty crazy tonight and it was a factor in the game for sure.”

The gusts were felt most acutely in the bottom of the ninth-inning, when pinch-hitter Gavin Lux drilled a long flyball to center field to bring the crowd back to its feet only to watch Giants center fielder Steven Duggar settle under a ball blown back toward the outfield grass for the final out of the game.

“My stomach pretty much sank when he hit it,” Longoria said. “I couldn’t believe that it didn’t (get out), but I guess it was just our night tonight.”

Los Angeles had won 16 consecutive games at Dodger Stadium including last week’s National League wild card game and all 12 of Scherzer’s starts since the right-hander was traded from the Nationals ahead of the July 30 deadline. The Dodgers had every reason to believe they would win a critical Game 3, but Scherzer joined the ranks of the late Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander and Adam Wainwright as the latest in a list of aces to be stunned by the Giants in October.

Scherzer dominated Giants hitters for much of Monday’s game, recording seven innings of one-run ball while racking up 10 strikeouts in an outstanding 110-pitch outing. Despite needing 25 pitches to complete the first inning, the three-time Cy Young Award winner settled in and made only one costly mistake against a Giants offense that’s still clearly missing the presence of injured first baseman Brandon Belt.

The mistake, of course, was the difference in the game.

“When you get to the postseason, you can always lose on one pitch,” Scherzer said. “Tonight I lost on one pitch.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 11: Evan Longoria #10 and Camilo Doval #75 of the San Francisco Giants celebrate after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 in game 3 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 11, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) 

Longoria entered a fifth-inning at-bat having recorded just one hit in his last 35 at-bats and none in any of his 10 playoff at-bats. The Giants’ third baseman looked lost against Scherzer early in the count as he fell behind 0-2, but the Dodgers right-hander delivered a gift in the form of a 96-mile per hour fastball that came up and over the middle of the plate.

The former Rays star hadn’t hit a postseason home run since 2013, but he redirected the offering from Scherzer at 110 miles per hour and sent it sailing into the left field bleachers to break a scoreless tie.

Upon returning to the mound with a lead, Wood recorded two more outs before right-hander Tyler Rogers entered and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings while matching a season-high with 29 pitches. When Rogers got into trouble in the seventh, lefty Jake McGee entered and struck out pinch-hitter Austin Barnes before Betts came to the plate with two on and two out.

On a night when the Giants received excellent defensive plays from center fielder Steven Duggar and second baseman Donovan Solano, Crawford stole the show with a soaring grab that gave manager Gabe Kapler a chance to put the game in the hands of 24-year-old closer Camilo Doval.

Against the toughest Dodgers hitters, a rookie reliever who has drawn comparisons to former Angels closer Francisco Rodríguez for his electric fastball and wipeout breaking ball finished the job and lifted the Giants to their second shutout win of the series.

When Kapler told Doval he was heading back to the mound for the ninth inning, he replied: “I got it papi. I’m ready.”

Alex Wood #57 of the San Francisco Giants talks with Buster Posey #28 and Brandon Crawford #35 on the mound during the third inning of the National League Division Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday, October 11, 2021. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) 

Wood was outstanding over 4 2/3 innings against his former club as the only two hits he allowed were singles by 41-year-old first baseman Albert Pujols. The Giants left-hander induced plenty of soft contact and groundballs while striking out four Dodgers hitters in his first postseason start since he faced the Astros in Game 4 of the 2017 World Series while pitching for Los Angeles.

After Wood gave up a leadoff single to Pujols in the fifth, he recorded back-to-back outs before Kapler went to the bullpen and called on right-hander Tyler Rogers to face Betts. Rogers initially fell behind in the count 3-0, but tossed two strikes before Betts hit a hard chopper to Crawford at shortstop for the final out of the inning.

Wood benefitted from an expansive strike zone by home plate umpire Ted Barrett, but not in the same way as Scherzer who had a significant number of strikes called on pitches to Giants hitters that were several inches off the plate. Barrett also hurt Wood’s chances of completing five innings when he called a pair of borderline pitches to Corey Seager balls before asking for help from third base umpire on a failed check swing attempt from Seager in the fourth inning.

When third base umpire Gabe Morales ruled that Seager did not swing on a 3-2 pitch, the Dodgers shortstop was awarded first base in an inning that was later extended by a four-pitch walk to center fielder Chris Taylor.

Several calls may have gone against the Giants, but on the final play of the night, the wind was on their side. A 106.9 mile-per-hour flyball died at the warning track, and with it, the Giants’ chances of advancing to the NLCS had more life.

San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval reacts after Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner (10) flew out to end the eighth inning of Game 3 of a baseball National League Division Series, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez) 

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