Standing in the training field, Dave Roberts frowned as he looked at the players in front of him, unable to hide the anger in his heart, "Look at your dejected faces, what are you doing? What kind of team do I see? Have you already prepared to surrender and admit defeat?"
It's no wonder Roberts was so annoyed. Most of the Dodgers players in front of him looked listless, physically on the training field, but their minds were elsewhere.
For the Dodgers players who had traveled across the entire North Arican continent from their ho to New York, they actually had expectations for the upcoming three-ga battle at Yankee Stadium:
Since the start of the playoffs, the Yankees have remained undefeated at their ho field. Neither the Twins, the Indians, nor the Astros could gain any advantage here. The Bronx had beco an impregnable fortress.
For this reason, in the minds of most Dodgers players, their goal was basically to win just one ga, then successfully drag the series back to their ho field, and finally use the advantages in Los Angeles to defeat their opponents and win the championship.
But now, not only had they failed to et this expectation, but the Dodgers, fighting in an away ga, were pushed to the edge of the cliff by the New York Yankees:
In G3, with Yu Darvish as the starting pitcher, even though Lin Guanglai hit a two-run inside-the-park hor in the first inning, starting pitcher Darvish still delivered a comndable performance, giving up two runs over seven innings. The Dodgers even temporarily overtook the score with their offensive.
The turning point of the ga occurred in its latter half: Relief pitchers Kenta Maeda and Tony Watson ca on and were subsequently conquered by the Yankees' lineup, not only losing the one-run lead but also falling behind by two runs again;
The Yankees, taking advantage of their ho-field and the league's deepest bullpen, slowly but surely stifled the Dodgers' efforts to catch up again, securing victory in the third ga of the series and extending the overall score to 2-1.
In the G4 match held last night, the Dodgers, in a 1-1 situation, were hit by a surge of offensive force from the Yankees in the bottom of the eighth inning, ultimately losing the fourth ga with a total score of 6-2.
With this defeat, the overall series score reached 3-1, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing away, had no retreat—either win today's ga to bring the series back to Los Angeles and earn a fighting chance, or watch their opponents climb to the top at ho, forcing Dodgers fans to continue waiting through the 30th, 31st, or even more seasons into the future.
"The World Series isn't over yet. As long as the opponent hasn't truly lifted the trophy, we always have the possibility of a coback—Think of that 2004 Boston Red Sox team, they faced an even more difficult situation than us. Why could they co back from a 0-3 deficit and win four straight while we can't?"
Even though they're cornered to the edge, as the head coach of the Dodgers, Roberts still tried to inspire his players in this way, hoping they could fight back with their backs against the wall… Even if, even if, the Yankees were sending Lin Guanglai as their starting pitcher.
-----------------
On the training field of Yankee Stadium, Joe Girardi looked at the players standing in front of him, sweeping his gaze across their faces one by one.
After carefully scrutinizing each face, Girardi finally nodded and said, "Good, no dark circles, no exhaustion from long battles... It looks like everyone got a good rest after last night's ga, and I'm pleased to see that."
Although with the victories from the first two ho gas, the Yankees had reached match point in the series, and were just one ga away from lifting the trophy, Girardi continued to warn his players, telling them that the series wasn't over yet, and an opponent pushed to the brink would certainly fight back with all their might.
So the previous victories couldn't guarantee them the final championship. The ga tonight still required every team mber to be prepared, fight hard for every at-bat and every pitch—he demanded that all players keep taut the string in their hearts, not relaxing until they claid the championship.
"...Last night we put on a ga that made the entire New York and even all of North Arica boil with excitent. Now the team has reached match point in the series, we are just one step away from victory, and there is light on each of your faces... But I must remind you, if we can't ultimately secure the championship with a 3-1 lead, can you live with failing yourself, your teammates, and the fans' dedication and support?"
"Almost everyone thinks that taking ho our 28th championship is already a certainty, they think the Dodgers are completely defeated by us, and there's no suspense about us winning any of the remaining gas—If anyone among you holds the sa thought, I guarantee you will face severe disappointnt!"
"It's the sa thing I've always emphasized with everyone: Forget about the series score, forget about the achievents we've already made; those are all in the past! Tonight's showdown, show again your hunger for victory and honor, let us end all suspense at ho, don't give the Los Angeles Dodgers even the slightest chance!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)