Arizona Diamondbacks Fall To L.A. Dodgers At Home In Playoff Series

By Casey Kuhn
Published: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 - 7:04am
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Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish helped sweep the Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the NLDS in 2017.
(Photo by Casey Kuhn - KJZZ)
Arizona Diamondbacks fan Alex Neis (second from right), 10, and his family and friends in 2017.
(Photo by Casey Kuhn - KJZZ)
L.A. Dodgers celebrate a sweep in the 2017 NLDS in Phoenix.
(Photo by Casey Kuhn - KJZZ)
Eighteen- and 19-year-old baseball fans, and friends, come out to support their rival teams.

The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks Monday night in Game Three of their National League Division Series.

After a dramatic Wild Card win against the Colorado Rockies last week, the Diamondbacks went to L.A. to start their National League Division Series against the Dodgers.

Two losses there and one flight home later, the Diamondbacks started their ace pitcher Zack Greinke in front of a sellout crowd.

That wasn’t enough to stop L.A. from sweeping the series.

Valley native Cody Bellinger came back to haunt his desert roots in the 3-1 win. The front-runner for National League Rookie of the Year homered, drove in two runs and played dazzling defense for the Dodgers.

The game was a sellout, and fans came to get tickets early in the day. Phoenix local Jason Dwight and his one-year-old son were excited for the game but had some trouble finding a good ticket, which he said seems unfair after coming out all season to a half-full stadium.

"Pretty frustrating being that the whole year, we've come to over 30 baseball games that are not even half-sold out," he said. "Now the playoffs and it's like, where you guys been all year?"

Fans like Paula Valencia who followed the team all year expected a little more for this game after a good season, but are hopeful for next year.

“They had a heck of a season so, I figured they would have done a whole lot better than they were this postseason. But next year we’re gonna come back even stronger," Valencia said. "I believe we have a chance to take it all the way to the series.”

Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke took the loss, and the Dodgers Yu Darvish got the victory.

Jorn Keller from Scottsdale said this season, under manager Torey Lovullo, marks a turning point for the franchise.

“I think just Lovullo, the new management, he injected energy and a whole new attitude," Keller said. "It’s like a whole new team.”

While the loss may have been a disappointing one for fans, 10-year-old Alex Neis stays true to his hometown team for the content of the players’ character.

“Like the whole team is nice, not like some other teams," Neis said, "But I like this team because it’s so nice and I was born in Arizona, right here.”

The Dodgers will go on to face the Chicago Cubs or Washington Nationals in the National League Championship Series.