Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Minnesota Twins: 2020 World Series Simulation

For the Minnesota Twins in Game 2 of the World Series, it was all about one big inning.

Roberts trotted out Clayton Kershaw (16-5, 2.69), winner of the concluding game of the NLCS, to start the second World Series game. The Dodger ace faced Randy Dobnak (9-1, 3.38), whose post-season work had been a revelation. Dobnak started and won game 4 of the ALDS against Cleveland, then also beat  Houston 8-2 in Game 4 of the ALCS.

The Twins used their ultimate weapon, the home run, to give Dobnak a quick 1-0 lead. After Kershaw fanned the first two Twins batters, Josh Donaldson drove a pitch over the wall in dead center.

But Kershaw settled into his usual routine from that point. In six and two-thirds innings of work, he allowed just four more hits, running his strikeout count to six. Through six innings, the only Twins baserunner to get to second base, aside from Donaldson, was Miguel Sano, who doubled with one out in the fourth and died there.

Dobnak was nearly as good. Through his six innings, he struck out eight and walked just one. But Dobnak gave the Los Angeles Dodgers one clean shot at him, and they took it.

That shot came in the top of the third when Mookie Betts opened with a double into the left-center field gap. Seager followed with a double of his own to almost the same spot and it scored Seager with the tying run.

Bellinger’s infield hit moved Seager to third, and when Dobnak hit Justin Turner the bases were loaded. Max Muncy cashed in the opportunity with a line-drive single to right that sent Seager racing home with the inning’s second run. When Kepler’s throw sailed offline, Bellinger continued around to score make it 3-1.

For eight innings, that’s where the game sat. The Dodgers mounted a small threat against Tyler Clippard when Pederson doubled with one out in the eighth, but nothing came of it. Pedro Baez, who relieved Kershaw with two on and two out in the seventh, shut down that threat and sent down the Twins without incident in the eighth.

For a second straight day, Roberts entrusted a multi-run lead to Jansen in the ninth, and he initially took to the task readily. The first batter, Kepler, grounded easily to Seager at short and the second, Garver, chased a low slider.

But Luis Arraez waited out Jansen and drew a base on balls on a 3-2 pitch called just off the plate.  It was a small thing on the field, but a major turning point. Buxton followed with a hit to center that sent Arraez around to third. Polanco sent a chopper toward Turner at third, but in his haste to make the play at first his throw drew Muncy off the bag, and Turner was charged with an error, Arraez scoring to pull the Twins within one.

Jansen’s next pitch was a high slider that Donaldson turned around with all the force a league RBI leader can produce. The ball landed deep in the left-field seats, a three-run walk-off home run capping a four-run inning that made Minnesota a 5-3 winner and leveled the series at a game each.

Los Angeles        003    000    000    — 3  9  2

Minnesota          100    000    004     — 5  7  2

W: May. L: Jansen.