Baseball viewing while self-quarantining

If you’re following your Governors’ requests and staying indoors but you’re tired of reading (or writing, in RBI’s case), MLB has a vast assortment (its words) of classic games available at its vault for free watching. Included:

  • Gibson’s homer (Oct. 15, 1988, World Series Game 1): Though he could barely make it around the bases, Kirk Gibson takes Dennis Eckersley deep for one of baseball’s most iconic big flies.
  • Kershaw twirls a no-no (June 18, 2014): Only an error prevents a perfecto, as Clayton Kershaw strikes out 15 Rockies.
  • Dodgers give Vin a walk-off send-off (Sept. 25, 2016): With legendary announcer Vin Scully behind the mic at Chavez Ravine for the final time, the boys in blue clinch a division title.
  • Kershaw saves the day (Oct. 13, 2016, NLDS Game 5): In a winner-take-all contest on the road, Kershaw comes out of the bullpen on one day of rest to finish off the win for a tiring Kenley Jansen.
  • A blowout for the pennant (Oct. 19, 2017, NLCS Game 5): The Dodgers explode early against the Cubs, with Enrique Hernández’s three homers powering them to their first World Series since 1988.

Those are just the Dodgers’ games, of course. There are plenty of other famous games to see there as well. Check out the page for links to all of them.

39 thoughts on “Baseball viewing while self-quarantining

  1. JT proposes ending tie games with a Home Run Derby.

    “This is my opportunity to push for a home run derby in extra innings,” Turner said. “Instead of playing 17 innings, you get one extra inning, you play the 10th inning, and no one scores, then you go to a home run derby. You take each team’s three best hitters and you give them all five outs and see who hits the most homers.

    “You want to keep fans in the stands until the end of the game. I know when I go to hockey games I actually like the shootout. That keeps me in my seat so maybe a home run derby would do that as well.”

    He doesn’t want this to be a permanent change; just this season to save pitchers’ arms.

  2. Here’s a new book about the land acquisition and construction of Dodger Stadium:

    Dodger Stadium is an American icon. But the story of how it came to be goes far beyond baseball. The hills that cradle the stadium were once home to three vibrant Mexican American communities. In the early 1950s, those communities were condemned to make way for a utopian public housing project. Then, in a remarkable turn, public housing in the city was defeated amidst a Red Scare conspiracy.

    Instead of getting their homes back, the remaining residents saw the city sell their land to Walter O’Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

  3. Who is Cody Thomas and how did he go from backup QB to Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma to Dodger prospect?

    The Athletic is discounting subscriptions by quite a bit right now. I’ve paid full price the last two years and found it worthwhile.

  4. Hanley Ramirez’s error, a wild throw, kept Kershaw from having a perfect game. It was not a difficult play he just threw poorly.

      • My flight is tomorrow night (Friday), to LAX. I have a connecting flight to SFO, but I’ve reserved a rental car to drive home just in case I don’t want to endure another flight. It may take a little longer to Oakland, but less aggravation (and lesser risk of contagion).

        • You said you had only one novel left. Maybe you should invest in an e-reader of some kind. I think I have 100+ books on my Kindle, and I’ve only read about half. But I’m in no danger of having nothing to read!

  5. Just learned my Tuesday night flight to MEX and SFO was canceled, got it rescheduled Friday night via LAX. I might bag the LAX-SFO segment and rent a car to get home instead.

  6. Last night I watched the documentary “The Battered Bastards of Baseball” on Netflix, which offers some (incomplete) insights on the game’s current issues (nothing to do with coronavirus, however).