One hundred and sixty-seven games and it call came down to a costly mistake.
The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped a heartbreaker in Game 5 of the National League Division Series 3-2 on Thursday Night as the New York Mets advanced to the NLCS.
Daniel Murphy did all the damage for the Mets, knocking in two runs and scoring the game-tying run by catching the Dodgers napping.
With the Dodgers leading 2-1 and Murphy on first base, Zack Greinke issued a walk to Mets slugger Lucas Duda. Murphy casually walked to first, but smartly saw LA's infield was in a shift and nobody was covering third base. Murphy touched the bag at second and took off for third stealing the base easily.
"I'm not fleet afoot," Murphy joked after the game. "You've got to give a peek and hope that nobody calls timeout, otherwise I look like a buffoon. But I was just fast enough to be able to get in there and make it."
One batter latter, Murphy would score on a sacrifice fly to right field, tying the winner-take-all game at 2-2.
"It was an incredible play and a game-changer for us," Mets third baseman and captain David Wright said.
Two innings later, he would hit the go-ahead home run that would send the Mets to the NLCS against the Chicago Cubs.
"Daniel was a tough out all series," Dodgers' manager Don Mattingly said. "He's always to me been a guy that's been a tough out, pretty much hits everybody's fastball."
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After two consecutive postseasons saw the Dodgers eliminated with Clayton Kershaw on the mound, Greinke was finally given the chance to extend the Dodgers season in a winner-take-all single elimination game.
Greinke struggled in the first inning, surrendering an RBI double to Murphy to give the Mets an early 1-0 lead. Greinke (1-1) gave up three runs on six hits in 6.2 innings in what is likely his last game in a Dodger uniform.
"I was pitching good, I was feeling confident," Greinke said. "I decided to challenge Murphy. Looking back at it, it was the wrong decision."
Greinke, can opt out of the final three years of his contract after the season ends, forfeiting the final three years and $71 million of his deal. If Greinke wins the Cy Young Award, he will command at least twice that on the open market.
The Dodgers struck back in the bottom half of the inning off 2014 NL Rookie of the Year, Jacob DeGrom. DeGrom was unhittable in Game 1 of the series, but allowed four singles in the first, and LA came roaring back to take the lead.
"I think I was a little amped up," DeGrom said of his rocky start. "I just tried to settle down and make my pitches."
DeGrom (2-0) allowed two runs on six hits in six innings, striking out seven batters. He becomes just the fourth pitcher in Major League history to defeat two different Cy Young winners in a single postseason series.
Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier made a diving catch in the second inning to save a run for Los Angeles, but was seen arguing with manager Don Mattingly in the bottom half of the third inning, for not advancing Justin Turner who led off the inning with a double.
"There was nothing there other than he was mad about the ump's call," Mattingly said of the incident. "I was trying to settle him down."
The Dodgers would not score another run after the first inning, and the Mets would celebrate thanks to Murphy's heroics. Murphy's solo home run in the sixth inning joins him with Darryl Strawberry and Ray Knight as the only Mets to homer in a winner-take-all game.
Daniel Murphy becomes the only NL player to homer off Clayton Kershaw AND Zack Greinke this year. #OwnOctober pic.twitter.com/xH2KNMAHSc — MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) October 16, 2015
Mets' closer Jeurys Familia pitched both the 8th and 9th innings for his first six-out save, and the biggest of his career.
The Mets advance to their first NLCS since 2006, where after defeating the Dodgers in the NLDS, they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals who would go on to win the World Series that year.
For the third consecutive season, the team with the league's highest payroll, remains without a World Series title.
"There are really no words to describe how you feel right now," Mattingly told his team after the game. "You come to Spring Training, you work all winter, you scratch, you fight, all year long to get into this situation to have a chance, and it comes to a crash."
Game Notes:
Justin Turner set a Dodgers franchise record with six doubles in a postseason series.
