Seth Udinski, FISM News
[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″]
Thursday night saw a wide array of action in the world of sports. Two fierce MLB rivals squared off for the final spot in the NLCS, while the defending Super Bowl champions traveled to Philadelphia for Thursday Night Football.
In baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers upset their division rivals, the San Francisco Giants, in game 5 of a thrilling NLDS. The series had swayed back and forth up until Thursday night’s winner-take-all contest before a full house at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
The game lived up to its billing, beginning as a tense pitchers dual that went scoreless through five innings. In the 6th inning, Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts started a rally with a single and then a steal of second base with one out. Betts scored on a double by Corey Seager to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, but it didn’t last long.
In the bottom of the 6th, Giants first baseman Darin Ruf tied the game with a mighty solo home run to dead center field. The Dodgers put two runners on in the 8th but could not break the tie. In the top of the 9th, Cody Bellinger put the Dodgers back on top 2-1 with an RBI single to right field.
In the bottom frame of the inning, the Giants had the tying run on first with Wilmer Flores at the plate representing the winning run with two outs, but Flores struck out on a controversial check-swing, shocking the San Francisco home crowd and sending the underdog Dodgers back to the NLCS.
That's the call that ends the great battle between the Dodgers and Giants this season? That's BAD pic.twitter.com/NVw8bhiFIR
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 15, 2021
Los Angeles will face the Atlanta Braves in the best-of-seven NLCS, taking on the winner of the ALCS between the Red Sox and the Astros for a spot in the 2021 World Series.
In football, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battled the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football in South Philadelphia. The ageless 44-year-old Tom Brady picked apart a shaky Eagles defense for 297 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Bucs to a 21-7 halftime lead. The Eagles battled back in the second half game behind second-year starter Jalen Hurts, but their late surge was not enough to overcome the defending champs. The Buccaneers held on for a 28-22 win to improve to 5-1 on the year, while the Eagles dropped to 2-4.