The Art of War

Posted By on October 30, 2024

Last night, the Dodgers did not pull out all the stops to try to win the World Series in New York. After winning three World Series games in a row, the Dodgers elected not to use any of their high-leverage pitchers in a bullpen game. Instead, they elected to use Casparius, Hudson, Knack, and Honeywell. Casparius and Knack fairly acquitted themselves, but Hudson and Knack were a disaster! I’m OK with that.

The book “The Arty of War” by Sun Tzu has as it’s central metaphor, “water.” Sun Zzu wrote this:

“A military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape. The ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius.”

— Sun Tzu

Oliver Goldsmith wrote this:

“He who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day;
But he who is battle slain
Can never rise to fight again.”

Tomorrow, they have Jack Flaherty going against Gerrit Cole and they also have the following pitchers available for 1-2 innings of work:

  • Banda
  • Brasier
  • Graterol
  • Kopech
  • Treinen
  • Vesia

Flaherty needs to just air it out for however long he can and then turn it over to a rested bullpen of high-leverage closers. It would be nice to close it out in LA, but why wait? Do it now! Last night, was calculated by the Dodger Brass. Their high leverage relievers are rested and ready. That is the plan… now they have to execute!

This article has 78 Comments

  1. See also, Why run down the hill to kill one animal when you can walk down and kill them all?

    1. What? … This is the world F**** series …finish the off don’t give them theomentum

  2. Fairly acquitted himself? I may be a Knack hack but 4 innings 2 hits 1run 56 pitches in the World Series against the Yankees? Sounds masterful to me. Ok I’ll give you that he came in down 5. Low pressure. But knocking down those 4 innings was big.
    Book em

    1. Good line.
      And what did Phil Collins mean about Szu Szu Szudio….
      Dumb jokes, you say?
      Szu me.

  6. Actually I would quibble with the Sun Tzu comparison you made. I don’t think the Dodgers were being fluid or adapting gracefully to changing conditions, which is, as I interpret that reference, the meaning of that quote. To the contrary, they were sticking to the script. It was decided beforehand it was a low leverage game, so the plan was to save their higher leverage pitchers for the next game.

    Not a bad plan. It’s strategically smart. It does come with downsides, however.

    “Tanking” or conceding a game can become contagious. A lack of urgency runs the risk of carrying over into those times were a sense of urgency is vital.

    Now the Dodgers just gave the Yankees a ray of hope. With Cole on the mound, they could easily take the next game, then it’s 3-2. Now it’s safe to get nervous.

    Don’t be complacent.

    BTW, did Jeff Dominique become an architect suddenly or did he just quit?

    1. I’m admittedly not a fan of discussing other board stuff on Dodgers blogs, but this should be quick and tidy.

      He’s not posting as much as he used to, but I think he’s a CPA.

      1. No. When I click on the link to his site some architectural firm loads.

        Is that just me?

        1. Jeff had knee surgery, and he and I e-mailed each other back and forth a few times.

          I count Jeff as a friend. I have not talked extensively with him, but he sounded fine.

          It might be you. It comes up fine for me. Bear has been writing a lot…

  7. 8:08 PM ET FOX

    Dodgers (98-64) 3-1
    Yankees (94-68) 1-3

    SP Jack Flaherty R
    13-7 3.17 ERA
    Confirmed Lineup
    DH S. Ohtani L
    RF Mookie Betts R
    1B F. Freeman L
    LF T. Hernandez R
    3B Max Muncy L
    CF E. Hernandez R
    SS Tommy Edman S
    C Will Smith R
    2B Gavin Lux L

    SP Gerrit Cole R
    8-5 3.41 ERA
    Confirmed Lineup
    2B G. Torres R
    RF Juan Soto L
    CF Aaron Judge R
    3B J. Chisholm L
    DH G. Stanton R
    1B A. Rizzo L
    SS A. Volpe R
    C Austin Wells L
    LF Alex Verdugo L

    68° Wind 8 mph R-L

    Max, how about showing up tonight and participating in the offense!

    2. Max never shows up in the big games. No one showing up except Mookie and Freddie. Anyone else batting over .200

    1. Unfortunately I agree with you …. Giving the Yankees that kind of momentum is a dangerous thing

  9. Tonight is the night for Shohei to rise to the occasion and have his name added to the other MLB legends. Come on, Dodgers, let’s do it tonight!

    1. I have been told that Ohtani will need minor shoulder surgery after the Series…

      I can neither confirm or deny…

      1. Then sit him And give someone a chance. He is batting under .150 !!! This is the World F****** Series … Do we want to win or not?

  10. In response to Dodgerpatch:

    I guess it depends upon your perspective.

    Casparius did a great job, and then Hudson imploded. If Hudson had been nails, I think the script would have been flipped.

    We will never know…

    1. My perspective based on Dodger history in the playoffs … Where is Max? … Where is Kiki ??? … And damn I wish Kershaw was pitching … Hoping we don’t choke like we always do but it wouldn’t be surprised … When they were in Brooklyn they called them the Bums ..m hope I am wrong

  11. No one did a great job last night. If this goes back to LA we are in trouble. No one really hitting … Give Knack a snack and Hudson both a ticket home. Max too

    2. This is playoff baseball. The 4 runs that were scored would’ve been enough to win any of the first 3 games.

      The issue wasn’t a lack of offense, it was lack of pitching. Dodger brass will never admit to it, but that game was punted in order to reset our pitching rotation. We had a chance to win until the very end when Honeywell had his meltdown.

      Take away Hudson’s and Honeywell’s performances, and we might have had enough offense to sweep the series.

      Having said that, we’re an excellent position to win the series.

      I’d be shocked if this series goes more than 6 games. Unlike the Dodgers, the Yankees had to use their bullpen to win last night and will get more use (or abuse) today.

      Go Dodgers!

  12. Gheez, up 3-1 and some here are panicking. You don’t sound happy. Did you expect a sweep and since it didn’t happen you are falling apart.
    It’s baseball, it’s the World Series for crying out loud. Teams win and lose and win again.
    GO DODGERS

  13. Maybe it’s just me, but mixing Dodgers and negativity right now is frickin bizarre . They’re in the World Series up 3-1. Damn I’m having a great time. How about you guys?
    Book em

  14. The Dodgers are still in control. Yankees mostly haven’t hit and Dodgers have hit better. Dodgers’ pen is ready and rested – Yankees’ are not. Dodgers’ defense has been much better than the Yanks’ too.

    Cole will likely be good again – Dodgers need Flaherty to keep them in the game. I like the Dodgers to win tonight.

    I don’t know who Kiki is – the Dodgers have a player named Enrique (Kike) Hernandez. No Kiki’s though. By the way, he is slashing .277/.333/.447/.780 in the post-season. He’s doing just fine. He has cooled off in the Series but he’s playing well and is capable of getting the big hit. And bench Ohtani? Seriously?

    2. Because after the decision was made to use Hudson , the Yanks bats have come alive while ours have gone silent. This game is over, and the Yanks have the momentum. We need another outstanding game from Yamamoto. I don’t want a game 7.

  18. I will be delighted to be proven wrong! 3 skanky miscues in one inning, and super clutch Freddie, and Cole has lost his magic. Time for Max!

  19. Graterol actually struck out Judge twice in that AB. Umpire squeezed on 2 obvious strikes.

    Dodgers playing the Yankees and Umpiring crew.

    Yankees 5
    Umpires 1
    Dodgers 5

  21. I felt once Walker got those breaking pitches over to Volpe that he would get it done. They sitting on fastballs, but he didn’t have to throw them

  23. World series champions I am 62 but I feel 12 again .Santa has just come to my house fellas.How good it is.Those old yankees don’t seem too happy to hug Freddie. Around and Jeter.Great season.
    .

  24. Mark thanks for your strong leadership through a sometimes troubling year. I have enjoyed ladodgertalk and hope it continues. Sleep well all you other morons!!
    Way to “Go Dodgers”

    1. Could be…
      Key players locked up for next several years: Ohtani, Betts, Freddie, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Smith….
      Dodgers could lose these guys in free agency: Teo, Buehler, Flaherty, Kike. But I expect two or three will be back.
      Without signing or trading for anybody at all, the lineup for ’25 could be:
      Shohei DH
      Mookie RF/2B
      Freddie 1B
      Smith C
      Max 3B
      Pages RF/CF
      Lux 2B/ Bench
      Edman/Rojas SS
      Outman / Edman/ Pages CF
      Rushing/Taylor LF

  27. Congratulations to all of us who bleed Dodger Blue! Nothing much sweeter than beating the Skankees. Great job by the players and Doc! Whether he’s back or not, I ordered a Walker F’n Buehler t-shirt.

    Potential Starters returning next season:
    Ohtani
    Yamamoto
    Glasnow
    Kershaw
    May
    Gonsolin
    Knack
    Ferris

    Possible FA’s
    Roki
    Buehler

    I could see a 6 man rotation next year

    1. Add to SP possibilities Wrobleski and Frasso, who I think will be back in the Spring. And Emmet Sheehan is expected back after the all-star break.
      And wait a sec…… Are we writing off Bobby Miller?
      Perhaps I missed something, but I’ve been under the impression that Miller is just struggling with his control and the mental/emotional fallout. Is there something physical? The young guns who have to sit for physical reasons are Stone and Ryan.
      The FA market for SPs will be pretty robust, also including Burnes, Snell, Fried and others. Burnes seems to be the most durable ace-quality SP on the market.
      And if the brass looks to the trade market, the woeful White Sox seem certain to try to flip Crochet. Given Kershaw’s age and fragility, Crochet might fit as a lefty option. The Dodgers could put together an attractive package.

  28. I’m trashed.

    Uber took me home. Got tanked with 10 of my best friends and 25 new ones.

    Tonight was a good night!

  29. After the game, Ohtani went up to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and had a simple message.

    “Let’s do this nine more times,” Ohtani said to Friedman.

    Friedman hilariously said: “He gets one in his first year so he thinks this is easy.”

  30. ‘The Dodgers will commemorate their World Series title on Friday with a parade in Downtown Los Angeles and a special ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium, the club announced on Wednesday night. Both events will be televised in their entirety on Spectrum SportsNet LA, local television channels and AM 570. Due to logistics, traffic and timing, fans will not be able to attend both events.

    The parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. PT at Gloria Molina Grand Park on Spring Street in front of City Hall. Mayor Karen Bass will officially kick off the parade, which will then continue on a 45-minute route from 1st Street to Grand Avenue to 5th Street, culminating at the intersection of 5th and Flower Street, with members of the Dodgers traveling atop double-decker buses. Fans wishing to attend the parade are emphatically encouraged to take public transportation due to significant street closures and limited public parking”.

  34. That Yankee fan that pinned Mookie’s hand and pried the ball from his glove pretty much represents the typical Yankee fan so it is a beautiful thing ending it in yew nork. There is a baseball GOD after all. Yanks. who is YOUR daddy………….

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