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Just like that - the Dodgers are relevant again.
Sure, the Angels are still the best team in Southern California, and likely punched their World Series ticket by acquiring Mark Teixeira.
But the Dodgers have Manny.
The greatest trade-deadline deal in club history – the one that delivered Manny Ramirez from the angst-ridden clutches of Red Sox Nation – may have not only saved GM Ned Colletti’s job, but saved the Dodgers season. Colletti struck out big time with expensive flops like Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones. He’s hit one out of the park with Ramirez.
Even if he’s only in Dodger Blue for two months – three if the Dodgers can overtake Arizona – Manny has already left an indelible stamp on the club, injecting passion into a normally staid organization. There’s a charge in the air at Dodger Stadium, fans treating Manny at-bats with Bonds-like reverence, sticking around till the late innings to see Manny hit one last time.
Manny’s trademark goofiness has also loosened up the clubhouse. Before Wednesday night’s game against the Phillies, players sported Manny dreadlock wigs, the hottest selling new Dodger retail item.
Superstars traded to new clubs usually resist the ‘savior’ term. Manny has embraced it. Through 13 games as a Dodger, he was hitting .467, with 5 homers, 16 RBI, and a whopping .564 OBP. He has hustled on the basepaths and chased down fly balls in Dodger Stadium’s spacious left field.
There’ve been no ‘Manny being Manny’ moments, and with Ramirez playing for his last big free-agent contract, while trying to get the Dodgers into the post-season, there likely won’t be.
His impact on the Dodgers lineup has been profound, especially for Jeff Kent, who’s 13-26 with 8 RBI since Joe Torre moved him into the No. 3 spot in front of Ramirez, replacing slumping catcher Russell Martin, who batted 8th for the first time this season on Wednesday – and snapped a 1-6 slide with 3 hits.
“It was basically experience vs. inexperience,” Torre said about the move. “Russell didn’t give the pitcher a chance to pitch to him; he got a little over-anxious, where Jeff has a pretty good idea of what he wants to hit, and he’s just gonna sit on it until he gets it. And we’ve all benefited. Any time you put runners on base with Manny coming up, it’s really tough to do anything but pitch to him.”
The Phillies found out just how tough. They were nursing a 6-4 in the 8th inning when Kent came up with runners at second and third and two outs. With Ramirez, who’d already blasted a two-run homer, waiting on deck, walking Kent was not an option. Kent promptly ripped a game-typing double, his 4th hit of the game. The Phillies walked Ramirez intentionally, but the damage was done.
In the 9th, the Dodgers won it in dramatic fashion on Nomar Garciaparra’s walk-off homer run off Chad Condrey. Garciaparra was mobbed at home plate and lifted onto the shoulders of teammates.
“He’s Nomar, he gets paid a lot of money to do that," said a dejected Condrey afterwards. But it’s more than that. For the first time in eons, the Dodgers have a guy who makes them believe they’re never out of a game, and this new infusion of energy has rubbed off.
“We’re not really panicking when we get down a couple runs,” said Martin. “With Manny being in the middle of the order, he just brings that confidence… that he’s going to do some damage, and everyone’s feeding off that.”
"He's an asset to any lineup. He's definitely an asset to ours," Garciaparra said. "I said when we got him, we can't leave it all on his shoulders."
The Dodgers bullpen did their part on Wednesday. After falling behind 6-1, four relievers limited the Phillies to one hit over the final six innings.
"They came in and did a tremendous job," said Garciaparra.
And if Manny continues to do his part, look for the mania to continue into October.
