Thursday night was a big night for Los Angeles as not only were the Lakers playing in their NBA season home opener with the debut of Lonzo Ball, but also the L.A. Dodgers were playing for a trip to the World Series. The Los Angeles MLB franchise certainly earned that trip, as they were able to rout the Chicago Cubs 11-1. Ace Clayton Kershaw and slugger Enrique Hernandez led the way for the Dodgers to punch their tickets to the 2017 World Series. Here's the Dodgers vs. Cubs recap including top performers, game stats, and a look at the upcoming World Series schedule.
Game 5 recap
In tonight's game, it was all Los Angeles Dodgers from the start. They'd score a run in the first and second innings and then exploded for five runs in the third inning. Part of that came from Hernandez's 390-foot grand slam to score Turner, Cody Bellinger, and Yasiel Puig. By then it was a 7-0 lead for the Dodgers.
They'd tack on two more runs in the fourth inning from a Forsythe double. In the bottom of that inning, Chicago finally got on board with Kris Bryant's 368-foot solo shot. The game would remain 9-1 until the top of the ninth when Hernandez hit a second home-run. This time it was a 377-foot shot to score Puig. The Cubs were unable to mount a 10-run comeback in the bottom of the inning, and the Dodgers celebrated their big win.
The hero for the Dodgers tonight was easily Enrique Herandez. The left fielder was 3-for-4 with seven RBIs and three runs scored. Logan Forsythe added two RBI on his 1-for-5 outing, while Bellinger and Turner each added RBI as well for the 11 run total. For the Cubs, the only RBI came courtesy of Bryant's solo home run. However, the Cubs were also held to just four hits all game thanks to stellar pitching from Los Angeles.
Clayton Kershaw picked up the win for the L.A. Dodgers after going six innings and striking out five and giving up just the one run to the Cubs. Picking up the loss was Jose Quintana who pitched just two innings but gave up six runs to the Dodgers.
World Series schedule
With tonight's win, the Los Angeles Dodgers have advanced to the 2017 MLB World Series.
They'll take on the winner of the ALCS, either the Houston Astros or New York Yankees. Game 1 of the series is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 24 on Fox.
The World Series Game 2 is slated for Wednesday, October 25, while Game 3 is on Friday, October 27. Game 4 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 28. If necessary, a Game 5 would take place on Sunday, October 29. Fox will televise all games of the series.