The opening statement brought two batters into the game, Betting Mookie hit the ball to Chula Vista, the stunned stadium surrounded him in the sweetest silence.
Shortly thereafter, another statement appeared, showing Shohei Ohtani driving the ball down the right-field line at about 1,500 km/h, the silence turning to shock.
The final argument soon followed, during which Will Smith flew another weak shot over the center fence, and one fighter danced and the other sulked – the match was over.
Three innings, one message, forcefully delivered Wednesday from the Dodgers to the suddenly anguished and humiliated Fathers of San Diego:
This isn't 2022. It won't happen again. It won't be easy. This is distance.
Padres looking to steal the National League Division Series again? This time, they'll have to do it in a winner-take-all game at Dodger Stadium.
Buckle up. Lower yourself. The fifth and final game of the brawl will be Friday night at Chavez Ravine, and the Dodgers created drama with a desperate 8-0 victory at Petco Park on Wednesday night.
It was the greatest playoff victory in Dodger history. It set up a chance for one of the greatest postseason series wins in Dodger history.
“See you…on Friday!” – chanted a vibrant band of Dodger fans at Petco, and it really should be something to see.
Read more: Shaikin: Shohei Ohtani was supposed to fix the Dodgers' postseason woes. So why didn't he do it?
This will be the biggest playoff qualifier at Dodger Stadium since Chris Taylor won the wild-card contest with a homer against St. Louis Cardinals in 2021.
But this seems like something bigger. It's Dodger Stadium vs. Machado, Shohei vs. Tatis Jr, grinders vs. sailors, a real highway series.
These are the two best teams left in the playoffs. With the New York Mets upsetting the Philadelphia Phillies in the second division of the National League, the winner of this game will likely be the favorite to not only advance to the World Series, but also win it.
It's good that this neighborly confrontation that two years ago was crushed and stunned by the Padres in four games came down to one game, one night and one more drama.
Kicking off the series was the first monster home run hit by Ohtani. The second game was filled with show-stopping performances from the Padres, who made fun of bottle-throwing fans. When Game 3 was played in San Diego, the Dodgers initially struggled and didn't show it in a poor loss.
That set up Wednesday's Game 4, a contest in which the Dodgers entered without two key injured players — Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas — and were forced to sail without a starter and the bullpen themselves.
All this and there was a stat circulating that teams that lead a five-game series 2-1 at home win the series 82% of the time
It turned out that the Dodgers had the Padres exactly where they wanted them.
During pre-match training, they were relaxed enough to play mini-golf at the club. When Max Muncy was asked by manager Dave Roberts about the mood of the team, he only needed four words to answer.
“I told him, 'Hey, we've got it,'” Muncy told FOX TV.
Read more: Shaikin: How “Beat LA” became ingrained in the lexicon of the Dodgers-Padres rivalry
Yes, they had it.
The offense turned smartly and freely, especially against Padres starter Dylan Cease, who scored three runs in 1 ⅔ innings after predicting they might hit him on short rest.
“One of the things we think about is that he is not resting 100%, we will make him work,” Teoscar Hernández said before the match. “It's not a secret to anyone. Let's try to get on base as many times as we can and just score a few runs early in the game.
The aggressiveness also returned, and Michael Kopech threw inside without apology to the flattened Fernando Tatis Jr.
“We try to support each other and bring this positive energy to everyone,” Hernández said.
Then, of course, there was the great work, eight Dodger pitchers combined to hold the Padres to five singles and two extra-base hits. The Padres haven't scored in 15 innings, dating back to the second inning of Game 3, and have to think about this Friday, when they'll certainly face some of these Dodger starters again.
It seemed like the only thing that could stop the Dodgers that night was third base umpire Mark Ripperger.
With two outs in the fourth quarter, Ohtani boldly raced around third base on a sharp ground just behind the third-base line. He could have stolen a run if the ball had bounced off Ripperger and was ultimately intercepted by Machado, who threw Ohtani home.
Cameras later captured Ohtani shouting at Ripperger in a rare display of anger.
A day after snoozing on the brink of elimination, the Dodgers showed they can be emotionally prepared to deal with their hot-headed younger brothers.
They have one more chance, one more moment, one more match to prove it.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
