Letters to Sports: Dodgers finally get clutch performances in playoffs

As Dodgers fans, our fears of nonexistent hitting and flat pitching that plagued too many Dodgers postseasons were finally laid to rest by eliminating the San Diego Padres. And, to our pleasant surprise, not only did the Dodgers bats come alive when needed most, but who would have thought that a thin starting pitching rotation and a yet-unproven bullpen in postseason play would completely shut down a top-five-hitting lineup for 24 consecutive innings!

Both were welcome signs that catapulted the Dodgers to a deeper playoff run than seasons past. Continue!

Rick Solomon
Lake Balboa

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Having finally disposed of the annoying Padres, our Dodgers can now set their sights on the Mets, who have been the surprise of the playoffs. Then, if things go as expected, it’s the Dodgers vs. the Yankees in the World Series, and who wouldn’t want to see that again? Baseball, at last, restored to its glorious past.

Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates

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2017: Yu Darvish loses winner-take-all, series-deciding game at Dodger Stadium after surrendering multiple home runs.

2024: Yu Darvish loses winner-take-all, series-deciding game at Dodger Stadium after surrendering multiple home runs.

Amazing how the more things change, the more they remain the same!

Nick Rose
Newport Coast

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Kiké Hernández brings great energy in playoff games. He is a catalyst to release the pressure for his teammates. He must play every playoff game. And his scoop at third base for the final out was spectacular. That ball could’ve easily skipped through for a double.

David Waldowski
Laguna Woods

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This Dodgers Game 5 NLDS victory has been brought to you by Hernandez Bros. Demolition Co. “Tearing down San Diego since 2024.”

Axel W. Kyster
Bradbury

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Against all odds, Wednesday night’s combined shutout against a hot Padres team was an incredible achievement by the Dodger bullpen and a masterstroke by manager Dave Roberts.

If our season ultimately ends in disappointment and someone’s head should roll it should be Andrew Friedman’s for throwing hundreds of millions of dollars at fragile pitchers who cannot go the distance and overseeing a pitching program that blows out far too many young, promising arms!

David Reynolds
Marysville

I am writing this letter before Game 5 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and the Padres because the outcome won’t change my opinion.

Dave Roberts should be named National League manager of the year.

I know many people will want him to be fired if the Dodgers lose to the Padres. How many of you have faced the adversity Roberts did this year and yet still kept winning? He deftly managed through seemingly infinite injuries to pitchers and position players, and created a winning and fun culture among superstars and numerous new players throughout the year.

Let’s all applaud the Dodgers and Dave Roberts for an amazing season.

Linda Salzman
Rancho Palos Verdes

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Debunking some common criticisms of Dave Roberts:

A team with the best record in baseball should be winning the World Series more often than not.

Unlike football or basketball, every team in the MLB playoffs has a legitimate chance to win the championship. In the last 30 full seasons, the team with the best regular season record has won the World Series only six times.

If the Dodgers don’t win the World Series, at least they shouldn’t get beat in the early rounds.

Of the seven teams Roberts lost to in the playoffs, five of them won the World Series.

Roberts doesn’t fire up his players.

If a player making an eight-figure salary playing for the world championship can’t motivate himself, then he needs to find another occupation.

Bennett Beebe
Westwood

Bill Plaschke’s column about the bad behavior of Dodgers fans at Game 2 is spot-on. It was an embarrassment for all fans and L.A. There are no excuses for such reckless behavior. Throwing anything from the stands is fraught with danger for the opposing team.

Steven Mintz
Oceano

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Bill Plaschke wrote a column rightfully condemning Dodgers fans for what occurred in Game 2, but he went way too far. Yes, a small group of likely overserved fans at the game embarrassed themselves by throwing objects onto the field, but to suggest that it should cause all Dodgers fans to be embarrassed to wear their gear around town is inane. And he barely touched on the root cause of the incident, a professional athlete overtly taunting the opposing crowd. Jurickson Profar should be fined by MLB for this inflammatory conduct because of its propensity for inciting exactly what occurred.

Alan Abajian
Alta Loma

With USC losing five of its last seven games through a variety of miscues and poor play calling, someone needs to remind coach Lincoln Riley that the cheer is “Fight On!” not “Fold On!”

Rob Raban
Huntington Beach

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After the first two games of the season, Times columnists Bill Plaschke and Dylan Hernández were falling over themselves declaring USC a national championship contender. The Trojans are currently in 13th place in the Big Ten and no longer ranked. When do these so-called experts publish their retractions or are they still drinking the Riley Kool-aid?

Jack Nelson
Los Angeles

Reading Bill Shaikin’s interview with ex-Padres and ex-Dodgers player Steve Garvey is enough to make me a Giants fan. Almost.

Hans Laetz
Malibu

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