LOS ANGELES — Yasiel Puig was the life of the party Saturday night.
The flamboyant Dodgers outfielder thumped his chest in celebration at second base after delivering an important hit in his team’s initial surge in Game 1 of the NLCS. Then, with the Dodgers needing a cushion, he stood at home plate to admire a towering shot that cleared the
left-field fence leading off the seventh.
The sellout crowd of 54,289 at Dodger Stadium roared in approval. And the Dodgers eventually celebrated a 5-2 victory over the Cubs, facilitated by Puig’s bat and strong work from their bullpen.
Puig, who once seemed like a lost cause, was a significant part of the Dodgers’ 104-victory season, posting an .833 OPS, even while still occasionally attracting controversy.
“I’m coming here and preparing more this year than any years here with my team,” Puig said. “My teammates helped me a lot this year. My manager and all the coaches, and that’s the reason I played better this year. I’m so proud of myself and I want to keep going and do the best I can for my teammates and myself.”
A Dodgers bullpen that had the benefit of four days’ rest after a sweep of the Diamondbacks in the NLDS was crisp, while the Cubs’ beleaguered relievers continued to perform erratically following a brutal series against the Nationals.
Joe Maddon wasn’t around for the finish. The Cubs manager was ejected in the seventh for arguing after instant-replay officials ruled Charlie Culberson safe at the plate because it was deemed catcher Willson Contreras violated the home-plate collision rule.
Puig had homered earlier in the inning against Mike Montgomery to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. Culberson, starting at shortstop with Corey Seager inactive for the NLCS with back soreness, then stroked a double that led to the inning’s second run on Justin Turner’s single.
“I think it’s great when [Puig] can play with such emotion and focus as well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He loves the big stage and his only focus is helping us continue to win baseball games. Right now he’s playing at a high level, and not only the fans but his teammates are feeding off it.”
Chris Taylor blasted reliever Hector Rondon’s second pitch of the night for a homer leading off the sixth that gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Rondon, who was absent from the NLDS roster, was added to give the Cubs’ hurting bullpen a fresh arm.
“Right now I think the biggest difference from [last NLCS] is we have to get our bullpen in order,” said Maddon, whose Cubs beat the Dodgers in six games last October before winning the World Series. “That’s probably the biggest difference between both seasons.”
Jose Quintana, only two days after making a relief appearance for the Cubs in their victory over the Nationals in Game 5 of the NLDS, gave his team a chance by allowing two earned runs on two hits and two walks over five innings.
The lefty wasn’t named the starter until Saturday morning because team officials were concerned about his mental state after his wife needed medical attention a day earlier, forcing the team charter to make an emergency stop in Albuquerque, N.M. But with Quintana’s wife released from the hospital, Maddon had no problem giving Quintana the ball.
Puig’s RBI double in the fifth was the jolt the Dodgers needed to awaken. Puig’s laser beam to left-center sliced the Cubs’ lead to 2-1 before Culberson delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Quintana walked Logan Forsythe and Austin Barnes in succession to give the Dodgers their first threat.
Clayton Kershaw received a no-decision after allowing two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and one walk in five innings. The Dodgers ace entered 5-7 with a 4.63 ERA lifetime in the postseason, which included a mediocre start against the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the NLDS. He was pitching on eight days’ rest Saturday.
Albert Almora Jr. smashed a two-run homer in the fourth that gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Contreras singled leading off the inning against Kershaw before Almora took a full-count slider over the left-field fence. Almora, a platoon player, hit eight homers in 299 at-bats during the regular season. He was in the lineup Saturday to give the Cubs another righty bat against Kershaw .