The Los Angeles Dodgers were 22 games better than the San Diego Padres during the regular season and handily won the regular season series against their National League West rivals to the south, taking 14 of 19 games. But that success did not translate over into the National League Division Series.
After losing Game 1, the Padres overcame some questionable umpiring and an odd delay to win Game 2 to salvage a split in Los Angeles. San Diego then survived a tense Game 3 battle against the Dodgers to go up 2-1.
It seemed like Los Angeles prevail in Game 5 to get the series back to Dodger Stadium for a winner-take-all Game 5. After another unusual delay, the Dodgers — who already led 2-0 — scored a run in the seventh inning to go up 3-0. In the bottom of the inning, the Padres roared back.
Austin Nola and Ha-seong Kim delivered RBI singles to close the gap to 3-2. Then, Juan Soto tied the game with an RBI single. Jake Cronenworth followed with a two-run single, giving San Diego a 5-3 lead.
And Jake Cronenworth follows that with a two-run single, giving the Padres a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh. pic.twitter.com/f6a8XIDyFK
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 16, 2022
Los Angeles went down in order in the eighth inning. Then, Josh Hader came on for the ninth. He struck out the side in order, retiring Freddie Freeman for the final out.
After scoring five runs in the seventh to erase a 3-0 deficit, the Padres defeat the Dodgers 5-3 in Game 4 of the NLDS to win the series 3-1. pic.twitter.com/GtkGvhDuHZ
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 16, 2022
To call this an upset would be an understatement. This is one of the biggest upsets in MLB postseason history.
Not only did the Dodgers easily win the season series against the Padres but for the most part, the games were not close. Los Angeles outscored San Diego by an average of three runs per game during their regular season head-to-head matchups.
The Dodgers also enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in baseball history, winning 111 games. While winning that many games hasn’t guaranteed teams championships in the past, every other team to win 110 games or more has at least qualified for the League Championship Series.
As is typically the case when heavy favorites are defeated, the Dodgers were the targets of a lot of criticism in the aftermath of the game.
111 wins for nothing. The Dodgers' season is done after four games in the NLDS… #pain https://t.co/b68NXY4aWZ
— Adrian Luevano (@a_luevano) October 16, 2022
The National League Playoffs included the 111-win Dodgers as well as the 101-win Braves and Mets.
The NLCS will be played between the 87-win Phillies and 89-win Padres.
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 16, 2022
Of course, there are two sides to every upset. While the Dodgers are catching plenty of criticism for their performance in the NLDS, the Padres are earning a lot of well-deserved praise.
When it was 3-0 in the seventh, I bet the Dodgers were around a 90 percent favorite. Way to fight Padres!!!
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) October 16, 2022
You can blame Roberts for some moves. You can blame pitchers for not executing. Or you can credit the Padres for great at-bats in the seventh. This team fights hard!
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) October 16, 2022
The Padres will take on the Philadelphia Phillies — who completed a stunning upset of their own on Saturday — in the National League Championship Series. That will begin on Tuesday, October 18 in San Diego.