World Series: Dodgers' Game-Ending Errors Have Fans Fuming

The Tampa Bay Rays secured a wild 8-7 victory during Game 4 of the World Series. Two costly errors [...]

By John Newby

The Tampa Bay Rays secured a wild 8-7 victory during Game 4 of the World Series. Two costly errors by the Los Angeles Dodgers opened up scoring opportunities and resulted in a stunning loss. The Rays knotted up the series and set up a wild rematch during Sunday's Game 5.

A wild sequence began when Brett Phillips hit a single. Center fielder Chris Taylor ran in to make the routine grab, but the ball bounced off his mitt and opened up an opportunity for Randy Arozarena to score. Taylor grabbed the ball and threw it toward home. The ball reached catcher Will Smith, who spun around and tried to swipe at home plate. However, the ball flew out of his grasp for another error. Randy Arozarena dove in and scored the game-winning play.

When the fans saw this sequence, they responded in a variety of ways. Some expressed anger at the Dodger and said that they couldn't believe what had happened. Others, however, simply called the sequence of errors one of the wildest endings in MLB history. The discussions continued late into the night and early on Sunday morning as fans came down from the adrenaline rush.

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There are several ways a World Series game can end. Some players simply hit fly balls out to center field, resulting in easy outs for the defending team. Others hit walk-off home runs that give a team a late lead and a crucial victory. Game 4's ending was none of the above, which sparked excitement among many fans. They proclaimed that this ending was one of the best in recent memory and that they preferred it over other options.

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When the Dodgers secured a spot in the World Series, there were two reactions from the fanbase. Some proclaimed that 2020 would be "their year" and that the Rays couldn't possibly win. Others, however, braced for pain. They said that the Southern California-based team routinely reaches the postseasons but always fails to find success. Many Twitter fans said that they were preparing to watch the Dodgers build up some hope and then immediately crush it.

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When the Dodgers fans saw the late-game errors, they quickly headed to social media to voice their frustrations. They described their pain in the best manner possible — using memes. Some uploaded photos showing that the baseball team loves to lose while others compared the miscues to similar issues during Game 5 of the NBA Finals. They showed this with photos of Danny Green, a player on the Los Angeles Lakers who missed a wide-open shot against the Miami Heat that would have delivered a victory.

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Errors happen in professional sports, whether it's the NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB. However, the Dodgers fans said that they were stunned by multiple miscues during the same play. To make the moment worse, the errors were the reason for the Rays securing the victory on Saturday night.

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FOX Sports announcer Joe Buck is a divisive figure among sports fans, whether they root for NFL or MLB teams. Some fans love hearing him call World Series games or the Super Bowl while others cringe at the sound of his voice. Regardless of their opinion, baseball fans made it clear that they appreciated Buck's call during the wild late-game sequence. Even Dodgers fans said that they respected him.

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There was plenty of finger-pointing after Saturday's loss, but many Dodgers fans focused their ire on pitcher Kenley Jansen. They criticized the fact that he didn't run behind the plate to back up the catcher during the wild sequence. Many fans said that Jansen should have learned this as a kid — although some said that it didn't ultimately matter due to the angle of the ball leaving the catcher's mitt.

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Several members of the Dodgers' fanbase placed blame on the catcher in the immediate aftermath of the game. They said that him spinning around and frantically swiping at home plate directly resulted in the loss. Others, however, came to his defense. They said that he didn't see the runner trip and thought that he had mere seconds to make the play.

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