Random Thoughts During Game 6 of the World Series

Because we want you to live the torture of being a Dodgers fan, below are our editor-in-chief’s thoughts during Game 6. Yes, he’s a huge Dodgers fan. Yes, he’ll be apoplectic either way. Enjoy.

Note: All times PST.

5:21 p.m. The Dodgers need to work counts against Verlander and hope that Hill somehow goes 8 innings.

5:28 p.m. Not bad Rich Hill! One hit, no runs through the top half of the 1st. Hill’s curve is working thus far.

5:32 p.m. Seriously Chris Taylor?! 1 pitch, 1 out?!

5:35 p.m. “A quick and easy inning for Verlander.” -Joe Buck . . . Wonderful.

5:38 p.m. Gurriel’s up. Karma’s got to pay him back at some point this series, right?

5:42 p.m. Three up, three down and only 24 pitches through two for Hill. Now how about the Dodgers lineup makes Verlander work a little this inning?

5:47 p.m. Bellinger strikes out but he made Verlander throw six pitches. That’s only one less than Verlander through in the entire first inning! Baby steps. #GlassHalfFull

5:49 p.m. Puig with the bloop single to center. Springer thought about making a dive for it but thought wiser of it, limiting Puig to first base.

6:00 p.m. Nothing further for the Dodgers in the second but they forced Verlander to throw 23 pitches that inning. Better.

6:05 p.m. Hill hangs one out over the plate . . . to Springer . . . 1-0 Astros. And Smoltz is right telling the audience that it was a bomb even though it just got over. It is very overcast and dewy in Los Angeles right now and has been all day.

6:13 p.m. Great at-bat here by Rich Hill. He struck out but fouled a couple of pitches off. That sort of thing gives a dugout some mojo.

6:15 p.m. Which of course led to a horrible at-bat by Chris Taylor where he struck out looking. 1-0 Astros through 3 innings.

6:19 p.m. “I know I’m not supposed to be surprised by that but that’s surprising.” -John Smoltz on the Dodgers giving up a homer in every postseason game. No further comment.

6:23 p.m. Can’t complain about Hill thus far. Through four innings he’s given up one run and thrown only 45 pitches.

6:33 p.m. Verlander strikes out Turner and Bellinger to end the inning. He’s got 7 K’s and allowed only one hit through four. On the plus side, he’s thrown 58 pitches! #GlassHalfFull

6:38 p.m. Marwin Gonzalez doubles down the line. McCann, who hit a long single, moves to third. McCann would have scored if he wasn’t a slower runner than Charles Barkley trying to sprint through a swimming pool. First and third, nobody out.

6:39 p.m. Brandon Morrow’s warming up? His arm is literally made of jello after all of the times Roberts has used him this series.

6:43 p.m. Hill strikes out Reddick and Verlander. Roberts has Hill walk Springer intentionally to load the bases and bring Bregman up. What?

6:44 p.m. Roberts pulls Hill to bring Morrow in. WHY?! I’m screaming like Nancy Kerrigan here!

6:45 p.m. Apparently he’s intent on making the same managerial mistake 37 times in one series.

6:46 p.m. Bregman grounds out to end the inning! Roberts is a genius! Mensa level genius! #7thTimesaCharm

6:56 p.m. Another three up, three down for Verlander. Maybe he’ll get lost on his way out to the mound next inning and they’ll have to pull him?

7:04 p.m. Morrow gets Altuve and Correa to start the inning then gives up a single to Gurriel. His arm looked rejuvenated. Huge Game Had by Morrow. Tony Watson coming in to face McCann.

7:09 p.m. McCann leans his shoulder into a Watson fastball and it’s first and second with two outs. The camera pans to the bullpen and . . . is that Kershaw warming up his arm? Yes, that’s Kershaw warming up his arm. Has to be a bluff, right?

7:12 p.m. Great defensive positioning as Marwin Gonzalez lines one over the middle but it goes right into the glove of a leaping Chase Utley. He maxed out there using all 9 inches of his vertical leap. Still 1-0 Astros.

7:16 p.m. Austin Barnes with the lead off hit, bringing up Utley. In other news, Chase Utley qualifies for Medicare next week.

7:17 p.m. The camera shows Magic Johnson smiling. What percentage of Los Angeles fans over 30 would absolutely sign up for Magic pinch-hitting tonight? 75%? 80%?

7:20 p.m. Chase Utley summons his inner Roger Dorn and takes one for the team! First and second, nobody out!

7:24 p.m. RBI bloop single down the right field line by Chris Taylor! Barnes scores! Utley to third!

7:25 p.m. Standing ovation from Vin Scully! I’m hyperventilating!

7:26 p.m. Warning track sac fly by Seager bring Utley in. Would have been out in Minute Maid Park but we’ll take it! 2-1 Dodgers!

7:29 p.m. Turner pops out to first with a man on third and one out. Hopefully that’s not costly.

7:32 p.m. Bellinger strikes out swinging to end the inning but the Dodgers lead and Verlander’s spot is due up second! Do they pull him?! Why can’t I stop screaming?!

7:36 p.m. Yep. They pulled Verlander after six innings pitched. Gattis on deck.

7:37 p.m. Even though Smoltz sounds like he’s openly rooting against the Dodgers, he’s still light years better to listen to than Ron Darling was in the NLCS.

7:37 p.m. Watson walks Reddick and Roberts yanks him for Maeda. I’m okay with this. I think. I don’t know. Never mind.

7:43 p.m. Gattis hits a slow grounder and beats out the double play by a hair, which is impressive, because Gattis is about as fleet of foot as McCann.

7:46 p.m. Springer singles as Seager gets a small piece of his mitt on the glove after a nice dive. First and second. I don’t like this. Derek Fisher is coming in to run for Gattis. I really don’t like this.

7:49 p.m. Bregman’s deep fly moves Fisher over to third. First and third with two out. Altuves’s up. I’m not nervous. Are you nervous? Neither am I. I’m not nervous.

7:51 p.m. Altuve grounds to Turner. The throw’s in the dirt but Bellinger snags it! Inning over! 2-1 Dodgers!

7:59 p.m. Joc Pederson with the opposite field blast! 3-1 Dodgers! Best Jewish ballplayer since Sandy Koufax! I don’t care if that’s not true but it’s true right now!

8:01 p.m. Smoltz and Buck giving the Dodgers fans credit for bringing the noise. Okay, can’t be mad at them now.

8:04 p.m. Inning over, but needless to say, that insurance run was huge.

8:07 p.m. Kenley Jansen is in for a six out save. Dave Roberts really does want to torture Dodgers fans.

8:11 p.m. Three quick outs from Kenley and we head to the bottom of the 8th! Joe Buck takes us there by saying, “and they play Tupac.” Yes, it was as weird as it looks on paper.

8:14 p.m. Another Tupac reference from Buck. If the Dodgers win, can Vegas please set a prop bet on how many times Joe Buck references Tupac in Game Seven?

8:27 p.m. Dodgers get first and second with two outs and the Astros bring Francisco Liriano in to pitch. Liriano made his debut in 2005, one year after Facebook launched.

8:34 p.m. Bellinger strikes out for the fourth time tonight and we head to the ninth with the score still 3-1 Dodgers.

8:40 p.m. Gonzalez pops out to first, two outs away!

8:41 p.m. Josh Reddick strikes out swinging! One more!

8:43 p.m. Beltran strikes out to end the game! Six up, six down for Kenley! Not to jinx it, but here was our pre-series prediction:

Prediction: Dodgers in 7. And that is contingent on Kershaw putting in a Kershaw like performance. That Astros lineup is tough.

— Rudin Writes (@RudinWrites) October 24, 2017

See you tomorrow night! I’ll be watching at a local restaurant with my Grandma Bev, just as I did the night the Dodgers beat the Cubs to punch their ticket to the World Series. I’ll even wear the same suit!