Justin Turner and Chris Taylor shared MVP honours in the NL Championship Series, repaying a Dodgers organization willing to roll the dice on players whose big league careers were stalled.
In TurnerB次元官网网址檚 case, it was then-bench coach Tim Wallach who rediscovered him playing in a Cal State-Fullerton alumni baseball game four years ago, after his career appeared all but over.
In TaylorB次元官网网址檚 case, it was Los AngelesB次元官网网址� willingness to gamble that an off-season of grueling workouts would enable the young utilityman to rebuild his swing in a matter of months.
The co-MVPs turned up in the interview room together after the Dodgers eliminated the reigning World Series champion Chicago Cubs 11-1 in Game 5. They were champagne-soaked with hats turned backward, a pair of goggles still perched on TurnerB次元官网网址檚 head. Fittingly, they doused each other with praise.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 a dynamic player and a table setter,B次元官网网址� said Turner, who hit .333 for the series, with two home runs and seven RBIs. B次元官网网址淲hen he goes, we usually go as a team.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 talk to him as much as I can. HeB次元官网网址檚 one of the reasons I decided to make the changes I did,B次元官网网址� said Taylor, who finished at .316 with two homers and three RBIs. Both men also walked five times, as many as the entire Cubs roster.
Before Los Angeles punched its first World Series ticket since 1988, manager Dave Roberts said Taylor had been a B次元官网网址渇ringy, 4-A playerB次元官网网址� with his old swing B次元官网网址� good enough to play comfortably in Triple A, but too often overmatched in the major leagues.
With a new look at the plate, the 27-year-old was part of the most valuable duo on the field throughout this series.
B次元官网网址淭o really try to shoot the moon as far as committing to a swing change, he did that,B次元官网网址� Robert said. B次元官网网址淎nd it really paid off.B次元官网网址�
Turner, meanwhile, had already established himself in three previous playoff appearances as one of the most dangerous hitters in the post-season. Then he served notice in Game 2 that heB次元官网网址檇 be a similar force against the Cubs.
His walk-off home run in that one was the DodgersB次元官网网址� first in the post-season since Kirk Gibson in 1988, a feat he remembered watching as a 4-year-old at his grandmotherB次元官网网址檚 house in Southern California.
B次元官网网址淥ne of my first baseball memories,B次元官网网址� Turner said.
Now heB次元官网网址檚 returning the favour for a few youngsters in search of some inspiration.
B次元官网网址淧eople were talking about the J.T. homer,B次元官网网址� Roberts said, B次元官网网址渁nd itB次元官网网址檚 up to us to make that an iconic moment as well.B次元官网网址�
TaylorB次元官网网址檚 highlights included momentum-swinging home runs in both Games 1 and 3. The first came in the sixth inning, when reliever Hector Rondon tried to throw a 97 mph fastball and watched Taylor deposit it over the wall in right-centre for a 3-2 lead.
The second came in Game 3, when Chicago starter Kyle Hendricks tried to sneak an 88 mph sinker past him. Taylor drove that one into the seats as well, tying it 1-1 and helping LAB次元官网网址檚 offence get on track in a 6-1 win.
The most inspirational part of TurnerB次元官网网址檚 story stretches much further back.
He broke into the big leagues with Baltimore at the end of the 2009 season but was designated for reassignment to the minors the following spring. Claimed off waivers by the Mets, Turner lasted three seasons playing all around the infield, but the Mets let him leave as a free agent in 2013.
Later that off-season, Wallach saw Turner playing in a Cal State-Fullerton alumni game, and the organization signed him to a minor league deal. His versatility earned him playing time when infielders Hanley Ramirez and Juan Uribe went down with injuries, and the third baseman has been tough to keep off the lineup card since.
After that breakout year, Turner began establishing his post-season bona fides against his old team, the Mets, in the 2015 NLDS with a .526 average. After tearing through the 2016 NLDS, though, Turner stumbled against the Cubs in the NLCS a season ago.
But he more than made up for that this time around.
