The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 2-0 in Game 5 of the National League Division Series Friday night. The series was a dramatic saga, but Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar took one last jab at the Dodgers before heading home.
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“It’s very hard,” Profar said postgame. “We did a lot of unusual things. I don’t want to give credit to their pitching. We just didn’t come through.”
Profar’s reluctance to give credit to the Dodgers pitching staff is fitting given he and his team have gladly assumed the role of villain in October. However, the fact is the Los Angeles pitching staff held the Padres to 24 consecutive scoreless innings.
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“We didn’t come through in situations,” Profar said. “We didn’t hit.”
The NLDS featured tough wins and heartbreaking losses, but it also had its fair share of drama.
Ahead of the highly-touted matchup, the series was being described as a brawl. A fight to the very end.
In 2022, the Padres beat the Dodgers in the NLDS in four games. Since then, the Padres and their fanbase have taken it upon themselves to remind Los Angeles of its tattered postseason reputation.
As San Diego took a 2-1 lead in the series, it seemed as though the Padres would hand the Dodgers another round of postseason humiliation. The back-to-back victories from the Padres included taunts, mockery, and more.
Profar taunted Dodgers fans after robbing Mookie Betts of a home run in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium. Fernando Tatis Jr. pretended to shed tears toward fans in the outfielder in that same game.
Momentum quickly shifted in Games 4 and 5. The Dodgers pitching staff silenced the Padres lineup and left San Diego in the dust.
Many experts picked the Padres to win the series. The players certainly acted as if that would be the case, but San Diego fell short.
Profar, Tatis, and Manny Machado left the dugout once the Dodgers took the field to celebrate advancing to the NLCS. Gone were the smirks and smiles from the Padres trio, only solemn faces remained.
“I’m sad for this team,” Profar said. “We had everything to go all the way. But, you know, baseball. They played better than we did the past two games. We’re going home.”
The underdog Dodgers advance to their first Championship Series since 2021. Los Angeles takes on the New York Mets beginning Sunday.
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