Year In Reflection, Part II

From Orlando Hudson's home opening cycle to the multiple walk-off hits at the bat of Andre Ethier, there's no denying the 2009 Dodgers had a flair for the dramatic. Mark Loretta's hit in Game 2 of NLDS was the biggest walk-off of the year, but that's not to discount anything that Andre Ethier, who was named the "2009 MLB Clutch Performer of the Year," accomplished throughout the season. Of Ethier's six walk-off hits (four via home run) I was fortune enough to be in attendance for this one...

August 6th, 2009

Often times, before a game, my friends and I sit in the parking lot and drink a few beers before entering the stadium gates. We're not of the party going variety by any stretch, but the prospect of paying Frank McCourt $12 for a single beer is not something we consider fair market value. While tailgating at Dodger Stadium is technically illegal, you feel invisible to the law when you park between two large vans and drink behind tinted windows. That is until LAPD bicycle cops ride in between cars and begin to knock on windows. Talk about a buzz kill before the buzz.

My friend and I were pleasantly surprised when the officers politely explained the safety risks involved with tailgating, and instructed us enter the stadium without so much as a warning. A rough way to begin the night, but the damage could have been much worse. Sorta like watching Jeff Weaver start a game.

Facing their old friend Derek Lowe, the Dodgers quickly dug themselves into an early 2-0 hole, and would fail to lead at any point through the first 8.2 innings. It's not as if the chances didn't present themselves though. The Dodgers sent the go ahead runs to plate in both the seventh and eighth innings; however, strikeouts by Manny Ramirez (with two on in the seventh) and Matt Kemp (with two on in the eighth) to conclude each inning were unbelievably deflating. The crowd quickly thinned out, unaware of what would unfold to the faithful that remained.

Pierre and Furcal singled to start the bottom of the ninth, and would be hero Andre Ethier stepped to the plate. Three pitches later the ball game was over. If walk-off singles are sweet, then three run walk-off long balls are double chocolate fudge cheescake. Here's what I wrote about the game upon getting home that night:

A frustrating strikeout by Matt Kemp in the 8th inning saw the stands at Dodger Stadium empty like a dam letting loose years of stored up water. Doubt was in the air. However, those moments of agony and wondering at what might have been were soon replaced with memories of wonder and amazement at what actually was.

Tonight's walk-off home run by Andre Ethier not only won the game, but brought back the swagger to a team going through a tough part of the season. Three outs away from losing 8 of the past 12, the Dodgers stood strong, and refused to go quietly into the night.

The memories still resonate three months later, and refuse to fade into obscurity. It was yet another pleasant Dodger moment of 2009. However, as I wrote earlier, "the supporting cast present during those moments transcend[s] simply being at the ballpark watching Dodger baseball." Eventually the finer details of this game will fade away, and will be replaced with the remembrance of another Dodger game with my dear friend.