Giants 7, Dodgers 1: Thank you, Vin Scully

The Dodgers closed the regular-season portion of their schedule with a 7-1 loss against the Giants in Vin Scully‘s final broadcast as the voice of the Dodgers.

But really, who cares about the results of this game? The best thing is no one was hurt. One thing to note: Kenta Maeda had a good and bad day. Good in the sense he earned $1.5 million for making his 32nd start of the season. Bad in the sense that he allowed five runs and nine hits in just 2 2/3 innings. Not the best of tune-ups for the postseason, but he’ll have eight days until he makes his next start.

The Giants honored Scully all day. It began with them playing “It’s time for Dodger baseball” over the PA system prior to first pitch and handing out “Thank you, Vin” posters to all the fans. In the middle of the fourth inning, they honored him again by drawing attention to the fact it was his final game as a broadcaster. There was also a plaque placed in the visitor’s broadcast booth honoring Vin, and it will stay there.

In the seventh, Giant broadcasters Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, over the PA, expressed their gratitude to Vin. They led a rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” that won’t win any Grammy awards, but it was a nice tribute.

As much as we dislike the Giants, the organization is first-class, and it did well by Vin today.

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Also, Scully’s family visited him in the booth in the fifth inning, which was a nice touch.

And it wouldn’t be a Vin Scully game without him being humble.

Not enough, IMO.

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The Dodgers loss clinched the second wild-card spot for the Giants. They’ll play the Mets on Wednesday. The funny part about it, though, is Cardinal fans thinking the Dodgers lost on purpose.

Yep, totally lost on purpose. And one fewer team with postseason devil magic to make the playoffs, the better the Dodgers’ chances.

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The Dodgers finish at 91-71. They’re are off until Friday when they open the National League Division Series against the Nationals. Clayton Kershaw (1.69 ERA, 1.79 FIP) will take on Max Scherzer (2.96 ERA, 3.24 FIP). First game time is still to be determined. Stay tuned this week for a proper series preview.

That’s it. It’s been grand, Mr. Scully. Enjoy retirement and hopefully these guys can do something special for you this month.

“So this is Vin Scully, wishing you a very pleasant afternoon, where ever you may be.”

The last words uttered by Vin Scully as the voice of the Dodgers. Thank you, Vin. Go Blue.

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About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.