The last time a baseball game was played at Dodger Stadium, the evening descended into madness.
Players chirping at one another, fine. Fans cheering their team’s players and jeering the other team’s players, fine. Fans tossing baseballs and beverages at opposing players on the field, not fine.
On Friday, the playoffs return to Dodger Stadium, with the season on the line for the Dodgers and the visiting San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers would like to remind you that the last thing they need is for their own fans, even a handful of them, to engage in behavior so stupid that it stirs up the Padres, or worse, endangers someone.
“Support us,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “We don’t need any trouble.”
On Sunday, in Game 2 of this National League division series, play was halted for roughly 12 minutes.
“I hope we don’t have any delays like we did,” pitcher Clayton Kershaw said, “but we still want the energy, we want the atmosphere.”
In Game 2, when Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar was the target of flying objects, the umpires would not resume play until what crew chief Dan Bellino termed “enhanced security” arrived in left field. Then, when Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was the object of flying objects, the umpires would not resume play until security reinforcements arrived in right field.
Similar reinforcements are expected to be stationed in those areas Friday. The Dodgers declined to comment, saying they do not discuss security planning.
At least one of the Padres was so concerned about a repeat of Sunday’s shenanigans that he suggested the Dodgers not be allowed to host a Game 5 in the interest of safety.
“If I was the commissioner of baseball,” Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada told USA Today on Monday, “I wouldn’t even allow a Game 5 at their place.”
The actual commissioner did not consider moving the game. The commissioner also did not sanction the Padres’ Manny Machado for another incident in Game 2: throwing a baseball in the direction of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, which Roberts called “unsettling.” Machado said he was throwing an out-of-play ball to the ball boys in the dugout.
Sunday’s game was delayed in the seventh inning, with the Padres leading, 4-1. The Padres then poured across six runs in the final two innings, hitting four home runs.
“Yeah,” Machado said with a grin after the game, “maybe it fired us up.”
The eyes of the baseball world will be on Dodger Stadium on Friday. No other major league games will be played that day. No better show than a winner-take-all game.
“Any time you get a winner-take-all game,” Kershaw said, “regardless of whether it’s division series or World Series or anything in between, it’s exciting. As a teammate and spectator for this one, it will be a lot of fun to watch.”
Said Hernández: “It’s going to be fun. Hopefully, we can play a clean game. Not the way the last time was.”
What would infielder Max Muncy say to Dodgers fans?
“Bring the energy,” Muncy said. “That’s all I’m going to say. Bring the energy, but be smart about it.
“We expect it to be a live atmosphere. All four games so far this series have been an extremely live atmosphere. Both at home and here, it’s more than what we’ve seen in years past. It’s been fun.”
The Dodgers’ social media team hyped this series with this: “They say what they say because they aren’t from here. They Not Like Us.”
The Padres responded before the first game at Petco Park with this: “WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM. WE ARE LOUDER.”
Game 5 at Dodger Stadium should be louder still. The Padres should come prepared.
“I think they’ll get booed,” Kershaw said, “and I think they’ll probably enjoy it.”
