It all came down to one game and Dodgers pitcher Tyler Anderson did all he could in the 5.0 innings he played. He gave up zero earned runs with six strikeouts and just two hits on his way to a masterclass performance.
Despite no signs of slowing down, Dave Roberts decided to pull Anderson out early which eventually resulted in five unanswered runs for the Padres and an ultimate collapse. This sums up the postseason for the Dodgers who came in as one of the most hyped teams in the league just to be shut down in the NLDS.
This caused a lot of backlash in the baseball community and allowed for MLB Analyst Jerry Hairston Jr. to give there thoughts on Roberts bringing out Anderson early (via SportsNet LA).
"I thought 86 pitches---i know the third time around was coming around---but they havent figured him out yet. I thought maybe get out there and atleast play (Juan) Soto, if you get Soto out then you got Manny Machado with a two run lead. Let's say Soto gets on then you get a right hander ready to face Machado,. I thought maybe get him out there again but all in all, (Tyler Anderson) great outing I hope he comes back next year."
All in all along with Nomar Garciaparra and John Hartung, all analysts believed Anderson was having a great outing and is someone that should've stayed in the game in such an important moment.
Anderson was one of the best pitchers for the Dodgers all season long and to see him under utilized is a frustration fans will hear until next season.
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