The Los Angeles Dodgers ended a 32 year drought on Tuesday night, rallying past the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in game six of the 2020 World Series in Arlington, Texas. Los Angeles wins the series 4-2 and wins their first World Championship since 1988, and seventh all-time.
Randy Arozarena continued his historic postseason by hitting an 0-1 pitch the opposite way over the right field fence with one out in the top of the first to make it 1-0 Tampa Bay. It was the 10th homerun this playoffs for the rookie. The Rays continued to threaten and had two men on and still just one out, but settled for just the lone run. They had another threat going with two on base and two outs in the top of the second, knocking Los Angeles starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin out of the game after just 1.2 innings. Dylan Floro came in for relief for the Dodgers and kept the score the same by striking out Arozarena on three pitches. The score stayed the same all the way to the bottom of the sixth, and that is when Los Angeles took the lead bouncing Tampa Bay starter Blake Snell who had only allowed two hits and no runs in 5.1 innings and was at 73 pitches when lifted. A wild pitch from reliever Nick Anderson allowed Austin Barnes to score from third to tie the score, and then Mookie Betts beat a throw to home plate on a Corey Seager ground ball to first base to make it 2-1 Dodgers. Betts would finish the scoring and extend the lead by hitting a solo homerun to left in the bottom of the eighth.
Victor Gonzalez got the win on the mound for Los Angeles, as the Dodgers used seven pitchers. Julio Urias got the save. The bullpen after the starter Gonsolin left combined to allow no runs, just two hits, with 12 strikeouts in 7.1 innings. Betts had two hits to lead the way, as their World Series frustrations came to an end (lost in 2017 and 2018) by finally winning a title with a final 2020 record of 56-22. Seager took home the World Series MVP by hitting .400 over the six games. He is also in a second place tie all-time with eight homeruns in this Dodgers postseason run. Los Angeles also set all-time highs for a National League team in the playoffs with 5.6 runs per game, 30 homeruns, 59 two out runs, and 44 two strike runs produced in the 18 games. Anderson took the loss for Tampa Bay in relief of Snell. Snell was brilliant with his best playoff start of his career and had a final line of 5.1 innings allowing one run, two runs, with nine strikeouts. Arozarena had a pair of hits as the Rays end their season with a final record of 51-29. The rookie outfielder ends the year with the most homeruns ever in a single playoff run.
