Los Angeles Dodgers’ trade deadline reinforcement was a bit flat. An external blood transfusion was urgently needed for the starting pitching staff, which was constantly injured, but it did not live up to expectations. Detroit Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez agreed to a trade, but it was unfortunate that the player himself exercised his right of veto and it failed.
In the end, the Dodgers had to be content with signing right-hander Lance Lin (36) from the Chicago White Sox, where fall baseball was far away. Lin, who was selected as an All-Star twice, is a veteran selection who has won 129 wins (before the trade) with only eight double-digit wins since his major league debut in 2011. However, he was sluggish this year with the White Sox, going 6-9 with an earned run average of 6.47 in 21 games (119⅔ innings). He had a league-high 28 home runs, and his pitch was clearly declining.
Lynn, who was treated as an outdated pitcher in her mid-30s, came to the Dodgers and came to life. After the trade, he became a winning pitcher in all three games and is fighting well with an average ERA of 2.00 with 4 runs in 18 innings. Although he played only three games after the transfer, all major records such as WHIP (1.46 → 0.94) and batting average (.270 → .197) improved noticeably.
On the 2nd, his first appearance in the Dodgers, against the Oakland Athletics, 5 hits (3 home runs) in 7 innings, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, 3 runs, he made the first button well, and on the 7th against the San Diego Padres, 4 hits in 6 innings (1 home run), 2 walks, 6 strikeouts. Following one run, on the 12th against the Colorado Rockies, he continued his strong pitching streak with 4 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts and 1 run in 5 innings (own charge).메이저놀이터
According to local media such as ‘MLB.com’, after the game with Colorado, Lin said, “The first half was bad, but now we are in a good position. He is excited to throw the ball at the Dodgers. He seems to have been reborn. I am having a really good time here. I will do everything I can to help the team win.” With the clear motivation to challenge for the championship, the results changed dramatically.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said, “Lynn pitched great. He did what he needed as a starter. He had a little too many pitches, but I think he can take another day off until the next start,” he warned the management. With Clayton Kershaw’s return from injury and left-hander Ryan Yarbrough’s starting resources increased to some extent, the Dodgers can afford to use Lin without overdoing it.
The Dodgers, who continued their upward trend with 9 wins and 1 loss in 10 games including 6 consecutive wins amid Lin’s strong fighting, reached 69 wins and 46 losses, even rising to a 60% win rate. The gap with the San Francisco Giants (62-54), which placed second in the National League West Division, widened to 7.5 games and solidified the first place.
In 2011, the first year of his major league debut, Lin earned a championship ring with a 3.27 earned run average in 10 postseason games, 2 wins and 1 hold as a bullpen pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. It is his second championship challenge in 12 years since then.