Middle Earth has the Rings of Power.
Baseball has the rings of promise.
The Dodgers started the season full of promise. Manager Dave Roberts was so confident in his team, he guaranteed a World Series championship.
Alas, it fell way short of his promise.
After a record-setting season of 111 wins, a 10th trip in a row to the playoffs, and a lineup that was one the best in baseball history, the Dodgers were truly a fellowship of baseball powers full of confidence heading into the playoffs.
The promise of a championship season was all but certain.
But promises often are broken, empty, and go unfulfilled.
In pursuit of a championship ring, the Dodgers faced some of the most unexpected obstacles. It was as if the baseball gods were unhappy with all the promise the Dodgers embodied, and threw a series of challenges at them never seen before in the baseball playoffs.
It included a goose, a drone and a storm that all but washed away the Dodgers playoff hopes. And there was a seventh inning that might have been the most perilous and disastrous in baseball history.
The playoffs started just fine for the Dodgers. They won Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the harmless San Diego Padres in decisive fashion. They took a 5-0 lead and coasted to a 5-3 win to take the early advantage. It looked like the Dodgers were going to continue their winning ways against the Padres, who were no match for the Dodgers all season. For the past 10 seasons really. The Dodgers were 14-5 against the Padres in the regular season in 2022 and won nine series in a row against them. Surely the Dodgers would add a 10th.
In Game 2, it looked like the Dodgers were going to make quick work of the Padres, until a goose landed in shallow centerfield in the middle of the game. The moment that goose touched down in the outfield, the Dodgers playoffs hopes ran afoul.
The Padres broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning. Jake Cornenworth hit a solo home run to give the Padres a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning. The curse of the goose was underway, and it looked like it would be the Dodgers downfall.
The Dodgers might as well have been on a wild goose chase looking for hits and runs in Game 3. Their intimidating lineup was held to one run on six hits and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Padres weren’t much better, but won the game 2-1, and more importantly, took a 2-1 lead in the series.
Game 4 brought more challenges. The start of the game was delayed 31 minutes by an unexpected rain storm. A rogue drone added another delay midway through the game. It was just another distraction to knock the Dodgers off their playoff course. Their postseason odyssey was headed for disaster.
The drone sighting led to a series of unfortunate events for the Dodgers in the seventh inning. Up 3-0, the Dodgers saw their lead and their playoff run disappear in a matter of minutes.
The Padres scored five runs in the seventh inning to take the lead. The Dodgers looked lost and confused. Even Roberts made the unusual move of taking a pitcher out of the game in the middle of a count. It was one mistake after another, and the Dodgers lost control of the game, the series, and the promise of a World Series championship.
Then the storm really came.
In the top of the eighth inning, it started pouring. All the offense that was unleashed in the seventh inning was washed away in the eighth inning. The field was cleansed, and left in a muddy, sloppy mess, giving the Dodgers little chance of making a comeback.
The promising 2022 Dodgers failed in their quest for a World Series championship. It was an epically painful end to a promising season. It is one Dodger fans will ponder for years to come.
And one that will leave wounds that will take eons to heal.
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