Barnes catches everyone off guard in Game 3 of the World Series

Add Austin Barnes to the list of Dodger catchers who’ve come through with big games in the playoffs.

Barnes had two big at-bats in Game 3 of the World Series against the Tampa Rays on Friday night. The first came in the fourth inning when he laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Cody Bellinger and give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.

Barnes homered in the sixth inning to give the Dodgers a comfortable 6-1 lead. The Rays added a run in the ninth inning for a final score of 6-2. The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the World Series and Barnes emerged as the light-hitting catcher coming through with some clutch at-bats.

In the 1988 National League Championship Series, Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia had a pretty big at-bat. The Dodgers were down 4-2 in the ninth inning against the New York Mets in a pivotal Game 4 of the NLCS. The Dodgers were down, 2-1 in the World Series, and losing in New York. 

John Shelby walked to start the top of the ninth inning and Scioscia hit a two-run home run to tie the score and send the game into extra innings. The Dodgers won Game 4, 5-4, after Kirk Gibson hit a solo home run in the 12^th inning. The World Series was tied, 2-2, and the Dodgers escaped with momentum and a much-needed lift heading into Game 5.

But perhaps the biggest at-bat for a Dodgers catcher came in the 1981 World Series against the New York Yankees. Game 5 turned into a pitchers’ duel between Jerry Reuss for the Dodgers and Ron Guidry for the Yankees. The Yankees had a 1-0 lead until the seventh inning. Pedro Guerrero tied the score with a one-out home run. Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager followed with another solo home run to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. It was the second home run of the World Series for Yeager and helped earn him a share of the World Series MVP. Ron Cey and Guerrero also were selected as co-MVPs of the 1981 World Series.

The Dodgers and Reuss held the 2-1 lead to the end of the game. The Dodgers went up 3-2 in the World Series and went on to win the series in six games.

Barnes isn’t known for his hitting abilities. Sometimes fans like to point out that he is a liability when he is in the lineup. His contributions are more evident behind the plate than when he is at the plate. But in Game 3, his bat did most of the talking and quieted the critics.

It’s been a different hero it seems in every game of the playoffs for the Dodgers so far in 2020. Who’s turn is it tonight?

Let’s go Dodgers.