Friday, August 16, 2013

It's Real for the #Dodgers — and Magical

The Dodgers won again today, 4-0 over Philadelphia.

At LAT, "Dodgers keep it going on the road."

And see Bill Plaschke, "Dodgers' wins are the real thing":

The #Dodgers are the first club to go 41-8 in a 49-game span since the 1944 Cardinals.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 17, 2013

With the #Dodgers, it's starting to get magical.
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 17, 2013

This is real.

To those sitting in Dodger Stadium late Wednesday night as another comeback victory filled the joint with a dizzying chill, the conclusion was inescapable.

For those who kicked over their long-empty plastic cups and nacho trays when leaping into the air with Andre Ethier's game-tying, pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning, there can be no other explanation.

For those who slapped their fists together in imitation of Yasiel Puig's booming celebration on second base after he stole a double to set up the winning run in the 12th inning, what else could they think?

This is real. The Dodgers are real. Their current 48-game stretch — they’ve won 40, hello, you kidding me? — has sometimes felt like magic and occasionally appeared to be luck, but it’s been neither.

You don't win nine out of 11 games against three probable playoff teams during that span by chance. You don't win four of your last eight games when trailing entering the ninth inning with mirrors. You don't win 17 of your last 18 road games — this so surreal as to be unbelievable — on bloops and breaks.

This is as real as the red stains that covered the pants of Adrian Gonzalez late Wednesday after teammates doused him with sports drink after he delivered the winning hit in the 12th inning in the Dodgers' 5-4 win over the New York Mets. Fittingly, it was two buckets' worth. This team has taken every reasonable explanation and doubled it.

"All this stuff doesn't happen by accident," Skip Schumaker was saying earlier this week. "It just doesn't."

Everyone knew they have the richest payroll in baseball history. But who would have thought that guys like Schumaker would help turn this into baseball's richest experience?