LOS ANGELES -- Send the pennant to Hollywood. Frame it and hang it on Steven Spielberg's wall.
The special effects were magical. The script was marvelously imaginative, if largely implausible. The ending a complete surprise.
Call home, E.T., you're not going to believe this.
What happened was this underdog ballclub from Los Angeles -- yup, La La Land, nextdoor neighbor to Tinseltown -- is all but given up for dead in the National League Championship Series; its best relief pitcher busted for substance-abuse of the baseball; its top hitter and inspirational leader reduced to a gimpy-legged pogo stick; its star pitcher dragging an arm taxed by overuse. Somehow these misfits make it to the final game against a big, bad team from New York, which had been all but conceded a ticket to the World Series in spring training but was playing like it forgot it had to pick it up in person.
Then something totally unexpected happened in the end. Those hurtful Dodgers, losers of 10 of 11 games to the Mets in the regular season, blew away the many-headed monster from New York 6-0 in Game 7.
That's right, E.T., it's L.A. in the World Series, not N.Y. They staged the unlikely final scene here Wednesday night in Dodger Stadium. As 55,693 were my witness, it really happened.
"Nobody thought we could beat the Mets. To me the Mets are the very best all-around team in the National League," said Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. "I'm proud of these players. They came out battling, believing. This was the biggest game of our lives."
Unbelievable. Remarkable. Stupendous.
Los Angeles caught New York flush with a five-run haymaker in the second inning and arm-weary Orel Hershiser kept the Mets in a headlock, yielding just five harmless hits.
The Dodgers brace now for the invasion of another mighty force, the American League champion Oakland Athletics, headed this way for the World Series beginning Saturday night. But that's another story.
The truth be told of this one, a team never deserved victory more or worked harder for it. Heartful as well as hurtful, these Dodgers.
"Beat, New York," the crowd beckoned when the evening began.
They did. Like a drum.
Hershiser, making his third start in the series after only two full days off after saving Game 4 with a rare relief appearance, showed why he is known as Bulldog by going the distance in Game 7. He set a championship series record by pitching 24 innings, surpassing Roger Clemens' 22 innings in 1986. He was rewarded with the MVP award. It should be carved from iron.
"I had no idea I could shut them out on two days rest," he said. "I was tired, but we kept getting ground balls and double plays. We took it inning by inning."
Hershiser had plenty of support in Dodger Blue. Catcher Mike Scioscia, whose ninth-inning home run Sunday off Dwight Gooden swung the series -- New York was on the verge of going up 3-1 -- again showed, sparking L.A.'s second- inning surge with a leadoff single.
"If Hershiser is the Bulldog, Scioscia is the St. Bernard," quipped glib ABC commentator Tim McCarver.
The back-breaking second inning was a strafing run for Los Angeles, a disaster for New York. The Dodgers sprayed four hits through every hole in the infield. The balls the Mets were able to reach, they couldn't handle.
Scioscia started it with a single through the right side of the infield, and Jeff Hamilton mirrored it with one to the left side. Alfredo Griffin pushed a bunt past Mets starter Ron Darling and reached base without a throw.
Then came the killer for New York. Rookie third baseman Gregg Jefferies fumbled a one-hopper by Hershiser, who beat the throw but came up limping slightly. While all eyes riveted with concern to Hershiser, Scioscia scored.
The Bulldog wasn't hurt, only faking -- "a psychological ploy." He maintained stride and so did his teammates. Sax poked a single up the middle past Darling and two more Dodgers scooted home.
That was it for Darling. On came Gooden, who hadn't pitched in relief since he was a senior at Tampa's Hillsborough High in 1982. It was an emergency call Mets manager Davey Johnson didn't want to make, certainly not that early. The Doc brought no relief, though the Mets' continued hemorrhaging wasn't his fault.
After Mickey Hatcher moved Hershiser and Steve Sax over with a hit-and-run groundout to the right side, Gooden gave Kirk Gibson a free pass to reload the bases. Mike Marshall bounced what should have been an inning-ending double play to Wally Backman. But Backman's flip to second was high and pulled Kevin Elster off the bag with Gibson sliding in -- error Backman. Another run Dodgers.
John Shelby made it 6-0 with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Sax.
Gibson aggravated his hamstring injury on the play at second base. He would drag himself to left field one more time, but when he returned to the dugout after the third inning, Lasorda confronted him and said enough was enough. It was time to think of the future, next week in the World Series.
Reluctantly, Gibson retired to the trainer's room. It never hurt so good for Gibson.
"When we went to spring training everyone said the Dodgers were dead. To restore Dodger tradition is the greatest feeling to me," said Lasorda, who called this the most satisfying of his four pennants with the Dodgers.
As they did in all but one game, the Dodgers scored first, getting a run in the first inning. Hatcher followed Sax's leadoff single with a double threaded between third base and a diving Jefferies. Gibson drove Sax in with a high fly to the warning track in center field. Darling ducked further trouble, striking out Marshall and Shelby.
Hershiser appeared vulnerable early, and both teams had to wonder about the toll of the strenuous series on the Dodger ace. The Mets hit him hard in the first two innings, but without consequence.
Backman singled and reached third in the first inning, but died there when Kevin McReynolds, hitless against Hershiser in two years, lined directly to Hamilton at third base. In the second, Jefferies drove Marshall to the wall in right field and Elster sliced a single over leaping Sax, but Hershiser hung tough.
"I was absolutely terrible the first inning, but I was fortunate to get out of it," he said. "I made adjustments and got into a groove, and then the adrenaline kicked in.
"If there was a turning point, it was McReynolds' line drive being caught by Hamilton (to end the first inning). After that the whole spirit of the team picked up."
Hershiser was downright indomitable, keeping the hits widely scattered and showing no signs of fatigue. He got Keith Hernandez to ground into a double play in the third and struck out Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry back-to-back in the sixth.
The only authoratative hit off Hershiser was Jefferies' double in the seventh, which hit a foot below the top of the right-field wall. Hershiser hit Lenny Dykstra and walked Backman in the eighth but got Strawberry on a grounder to second base.
The Mets were dead. A called third strike on pinch-hitter Howard Johnson made it official. Then Hershiser disappeared amid a mob of players and fans.
What a fairy tale. Stand by for the sequel. It will be tough to top this one.
That's right, E.T., it's L.A. in the World Series, not N.Y. They staged the unlikely final scene here Wednesday night in Dodger Stadium. As 55,693 were my witness, it really happened.
"Nobody thought we could beat the Mets. To me the Mets are the very best all-around team in the National League," said Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. "I'm proud of these players. They came out battling, believing. This was the biggest game of our lives."
Unbelievable. Remarkable. Stupendous.
Los Angeles caught New York flush with a five-run haymaker in the second inning and arm-weary Orel Hershiser kept the Mets in a headlock, yielding just five harmless hits.
The Dodgers brace now for the invasion of another mighty force, the American League champion Oakland Athletics, headed this way for the World Series beginning Saturday night. But that's another story.
The truth be told of this one, a team never deserved victory more or worked harder for it. Heartful as well as hurtful, these Dodgers.
"Beat, New York," the crowd beckoned when the evening began.
They did. Like a drum.
Hershiser, making his third start in the series after only two full days off after saving Game 4 with a rare relief appearance, showed why he is known as Bulldog by going the distance in Game 7. He set a championship series record by pitching 24 innings, surpassing Roger Clemens' 22 innings in 1986. He was rewarded with the MVP award. It should be carved from iron.
"I had no idea I could shut them out on two days rest," he said. "I was tired, but we kept getting ground balls and double plays. We took it inning by inning."
Hershiser had plenty of support in Dodger Blue. Catcher Mike Scioscia, whose ninth-inning home run Sunday off Dwight Gooden swung the series -- New York was on the verge of going up 3-1 -- again showed, sparking L.A.'s second- inning surge with a leadoff single.
"If Hershiser is the Bulldog, Scioscia is the St. Bernard," quipped glib ABC commentator Tim McCarver.
The back-breaking second inning was a strafing run for Los Angeles, a disaster for New York. The Dodgers sprayed four hits through every hole in the infield. The balls the Mets were able to reach, they couldn't handle.
Scioscia started it with a single through the right side of the infield, and Jeff Hamilton mirrored it with one to the left side. Alfredo Griffin pushed a bunt past Mets starter Ron Darling and reached base without a throw.
Then came the killer for New York. Rookie third baseman Gregg Jefferies fumbled a one-hopper by Hershiser, who beat the throw but came up limping slightly. While all eyes riveted with concern to Hershiser, Scioscia scored.
The Bulldog wasn't hurt, only faking -- "a psychological ploy." He maintained stride and so did his teammates. Sax poked a single up the middle past Darling and two more Dodgers scooted home.
That was it for Darling. On came Gooden, who hadn't pitched in relief since he was a senior at Tampa's Hillsborough High in 1982. It was an emergency call Mets manager Davey Johnson didn't want to make, certainly not that early. The Doc brought no relief, though the Mets' continued hemorrhaging wasn't his fault.
After Mickey Hatcher moved Hershiser and Steve Sax over with a hit-and-run groundout to the right side, Gooden gave Kirk Gibson a free pass to reload the bases. Mike Marshall bounced what should have been an inning-ending double play to Wally Backman. But Backman's flip to second was high and pulled Kevin Elster off the bag with Gibson sliding in -- error Backman. Another run Dodgers.
John Shelby made it 6-0 with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Sax.
Gibson aggravated his hamstring injury on the play at second base. He would drag himself to left field one more time, but when he returned to the dugout after the third inning, Lasorda confronted him and said enough was enough. It was time to think of the future, next week in the World Series.
Reluctantly, Gibson retired to the trainer's room. It never hurt so good for Gibson.
"When we went to spring training everyone said the Dodgers were dead. To restore Dodger tradition is the greatest feeling to me," said Lasorda, who called this the most satisfying of his four pennants with the Dodgers.
As they did in all but one game, the Dodgers scored first, getting a run in the first inning. Hatcher followed Sax's leadoff single with a double threaded between third base and a diving Jefferies. Gibson drove Sax in with a high fly to the warning track in center field. Darling ducked further trouble, striking out Marshall and Shelby.
Hershiser appeared vulnerable early, and both teams had to wonder about the toll of the strenuous series on the Dodger ace. The Mets hit him hard in the first two innings, but without consequence.
Backman singled and reached third in the first inning, but died there when Kevin McReynolds, hitless against Hershiser in two years, lined directly to Hamilton at third base. In the second, Jefferies drove Marshall to the wall in right field and Elster sliced a single over leaping Sax, but Hershiser hung tough.
"I was absolutely terrible the first inning, but I was fortunate to get out of it," he said. "I made adjustments and got into a groove, and then the adrenaline kicked in.
"If there was a turning point, it was McReynolds' line drive being caught by Hamilton (to end the first inning). After that the whole spirit of the team picked up."
Hershiser was downright indomitable, keeping the hits widely scattered and showing no signs of fatigue. He got Keith Hernandez to ground into a double play in the third and struck out Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry back-to-back in the sixth.
The only authoratative hit off Hershiser was Jefferies' double in the seventh, which hit a foot below the top of the right-field wall. Hershiser hit Lenny Dykstra and walked Backman in the eighth but got Strawberry on a grounder to second base.
The Mets were dead. A called third strike on pinch-hitter Howard Johnson made it official. Then Hershiser disappeared amid a mob of players and fans.
What a fairy tale. Stand by for the sequel. It will be tough to top this one.
SEVENTH-GAME RESULTS
With their 6-0 victory Wednesday night, the Dodgers evened their record at 3-3 in seventh games. The Mets are 1-2. Their previous seventh-game results, all in the World Series:
DODGERS
1947: Yankees 5, Dodgers 2: Joe Page pitched the final five innings allowing one Dodger hit.
-- 1952: Yankees 4, Dodgers 2: Mickey Mantle hit a home run in the sixth to put the Yanks ahead.
-- 1955: Dodgers 2, Yankees 0: The Dodgers won their first Series as Johnny Podres pitched a shutout and Gil Hodges had two RBI.
-- 1956: Yankees 9, Dodgers 0: Johnny Kucks allowed three hits and Bill Skowron hit a grand slam for the Yankees.
-- 1965: Dodgers 2, Twins 0: Sandy Koufax ended the Series with his second shutout while striking out 10. Lou Johnson's home run provided the winning margin.
METS
-- 1973: Athletics 5, Mets 2: Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson hit home runs to lead the A's.
-- 1986: Mets 8, Red Sox 5: Ray Knight's leadoff home run in the seventh proved to be the deciding blow as the Mets overcame the Red Sox' 3-0 lead.
WORLD SERIES
-- SATURDAY: Oakland at Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m.
-- SUNDAY: Oakland at Los Angeles, 8:25 p.m.
-- TUESDAY: Los Angeles at Oakland, 8:30 p.m.
-- WEDNESDAY: Los Angeles at Oakland, 8:25 p.m.
-- THURSDAY, Oct. 20: Los Angeles at Oakland, 8:39 p.m., if necessary
-- SATURDAY, Oct. 22: Oakland at Los Angeles, 5:25 p.m., if necessary
-- SUNDAY, Oct. 23: Oakland at Los Angeles, 8:25 p.m., if necessary
All games Channels 5 and 7