October 14, 2016
Thursday night is precisely why the Dodgers went ahead and made the trade, acquiring a 37-year-old catcher who was hitting .261 with just three home runs.
Carlos Ruiz, pinch-hitting for Chase Utley (seriously, when did that ever happen in Philly?), came through in a big spot and gave the Dodgers the lead in the 7th inning of Game 5 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals:
The game still had many twists and turns in store, but ultimately, the story of the night was Clayton Kershaw. On only one day of rest after throwing 110 pitches, the three-time Cy Young Award winner came out of the bullpen to get the two biggest outs of the night. So much for Kershaw’s inability to perform in the playoffs, huh?
Catching Kershaw in the clutch was none other than Ruiz, who is no stranger to celebrating on the mound in the postseason.
From there, the celebration was on for the Dodgers. Look no further for your 2008 Phillies nostalgia, with Utley pouring beer on his longtime teammate:
Chase Utley pouring beer on Chooch. Good night. pic.twitter.com/lPUKF0dhTQ
— Nick Evans (@nickevans26) October 14, 2016
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
