MLB game is interrupted by a GOOSE as San Diego pull out 5-3 victory

During San Diego Padres’ 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, a special guest got a close-up view of the action.

The visitor came in the form of a large goose that flew into the stadium and landed in shallow right center with two outs in the eighth. He was standing on the grass as Gavin Lux singled to the right.

Ground crews ran out with a blue plastic trash can, but the bird ran off. It flew all the way to the circle on the Dodgers’ deck, where LA’s Cody Bellinger was standing. He slid away from it when it landed.

As the crew approached again, the bird flew into the infield near third base. A worker ran to him, put a towel over the bird and dropped it in the trash.

A goose lies on the field as the Dodgers fielding crew tries to remove the bird before playing between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning

Los Angeles Dodgers try to escort a goose off the field in game two of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night in the eighth inning

Before the interruption, Manny Machado of Padres homered early and added an RBI double off Clayton Kershaw, and Jurickson Profar singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning.

The wildcard Padres defeated the rival Dodgers for the first time in a post-season game. San Diego was swept 3-0 by the Dodgers in a 2020 Division Series, losing Game 1 of this series on Tuesday.

Profar dropped from first to seventh in the batting order for matchup purposes and singled into rightfield in the sixth off reliever Brusdar Graterol, who took the loss. Jake Cronenworth scored for a 4-3 lead.

Manny Machado of San Diego Padres hits a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series

Cronenworth homered to Blake Treinen in the eighth to give San Diego some assurance, and Josh Hader earned his first save with four outs since August 2020 at Milwaukee.

Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Trea Turner went deep for the NL West champion Dodgers.

The teams traded a one-run lead one night when two of baseball’s elite pitchers – Kershaw and Yu Darvish of the Padres – were overthrown. In the middle innings, it turned into a battle of the bullpens for the second game in a row.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws to a San Diego Padres batter during the first inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish ends in the first inning in Game 2 of the baseball team’s NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers

Hader, who got to the final of the eighth inning, gave up a two-out double to Freeman from the right center wall in the ninth. That brought out Will Smith as the potential equalizer on record. But he flied out to the right to end the game.

After an off day Thursday, the best-of-five series resumes with Game 3 on Friday in San Diego.

Cronenworth also drove in a run with a groundout in the third for the Padres.

Freeman, Muncy and Turner each hit a solo homer for the Dodgers, whose only lead was a 2-1 lead in the second. Baseball’s highest scoring team in the regular season struggled to hit the clutch.

Darvish, who took the win, gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings and had at least one baserunner in each inning. The righthander struckout seven and walked. Kershaw gave up three runs and six hits in five innings. The lefthander struckout six and eventually retired to retire his last nine batters in a row.

In the sixth, the Dodgers made two handy defensive plays, but couldn’t stop the Padres from taking the lead.

Freddie Freeman of Los Angeles Dodgers watches his solo home run against the San Diego Padres during the first inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series

Trent Grisham punched Graterol in a fielder’s choice. He stormed to the foul line from third base, picked up the ball with bare hands and threw a sidearm to Smith, who made the tag on a head-first sliding Wil Myers to save a run. Graterol glanced at his dugout and spread his hands as if to say, “How about it?”

Bellinger ended the inning with an unlikely over-the-shoulder catch after following the ball with an evasive gait.

The Dodgers had a great chance to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth with runners on the corners.

Muncy hit a shot to the deep right that chased Darvish. A stunned Muncy stopped at first base, apparently assuming the ball would be caught by Juan Soto, but the ball went over his head at the bullpen gate. Will Smith, who reached second base on an infield single, moved to third base with no outs.

But the Dodgers were unable to cash in. Robert Suarez came in and struckout Justin Turner, then Gavin Lux grounded into a double play to end the inning, leaving the sold-out crowd of 53,122 stunned.

San Diego Padres midfielder Trent Grisham jumps but fails to catch a solo homerun

The Dodgers again came up short in the seventh.

With nervous fans on their feet yelling ‘Let’s go, Dodgers!’ chanted, they loaded the bases with two outs on an intentional walk off Freeman. But Smith flied out to center to end the threat.

Yency Almonte eliminated the Padres in the top of the seventh, with Ha-Seong Kim, Soto and Machado swinging down. Tommy Kahnle struckout Soto, Machado and Brandon Drury in a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Dodgers bullpen threw four scoreless innings in a 5-3 win to open the series. The relievers of the Padres retired the last 14 batters in Game 1.

Juan Soto of San Diego Padres high-fives in the dugout after scoring on a sacrifice fly by Jake Cronenworth against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning in Game 2