Jake Reed became a comeback hero for the Dodgers. Reed knew he’d be pitching Tuesday night. But not even he could have predicted such an extraordinary scene. The franchise summoned two Triple-A pitchers to the squad for Tuesday’s series start at Citi Field because their bullpen is almost out of energy.
The Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 4-3 as one pitcher (Heath Hembree) earned the victory while the other, improbably, earned the save (Jake Reed). As soon as he flipped the ball to first base through the rain, Jake Reed let out a savage yell. After the match, he got emotional and started crying during a post-match interview.
“It’s just crazy. I was with the Dodgers last year, got [designated for assignment] and got to the Mets at some point, faced the Dodgers here at Citi Field. Got [designated for assignment] by the Mets and got back to the Dodgers [this year], and now we’re playing the Mets at Citi Field again,” said Reed, who allowed eight earned runs in 6 ¹/₃ innings for the Mets earlier this season.
“I always say, getting the last out of a game, no matter what the score is, that’s one of the best feelings in the world. To do it here in front of all of these fans in this atmosphere, it was a very emotional moment.”
Jake put on and delivered a performance of a lifetime that will live in memory for years to come. The Dodgers handled the situation differently than a stressful October night as they guarded a one-run lead against the New York Mets in the bottom of the ninth inning of the opening game of a series that manager Dave Roberts described as potentially serving as a postseason preview.
So, in a contest between the top teams in the National League… at Citi Field in front of a boisterous crowd of 40,607 people, in a thrilling late-inning scenario that may happen again in two months… A pitcher who had been released by both teams in the previous two seasons—and who had only recently been added back to the Dodgers’ roster—came trotting out of the bullpen for the unlikeliest of save opportunities.
