World Series 2020 Game 6: Tampa Bay Rays v Los Angeles Dodgers – live!

8.58pm EDT 20:58

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, bottom 2nd

Well, Snell would probably have liked a cushion here, but it’s not like he can control that (particularly with the Universal DH in this World Series). He’s facing Max Muncy, who gets ahead of the count 2-1 and then barely hits one fair but there’s not enough time for him to leg out for an infield single. One down.

8.54pm EDT 20:54

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

Arozarena is up with runners on first and second. This is a huge opportunity for him to put Snell in a perfect position this game. However, Dylan Floro comes into the game and strikes him out on three pitches to end the threat and the inning. Dave Roberts assuredly sighs with relief that the move ended up working out.

8.49pm EDT 20:49

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

Choi is up next to see if he can get the runner in from second. He takes a ball and then swings and misses at a Gonsolin fastball. The next pitch is outside. 2-1. Choi fouls the next one off. 2-2. He’s one pitch out of escaping the situation. Well it won’t be that pitch, a slider inside. 3-2, with the hottest hitter in baseball on deck.

And the next pitch is outside. So, Choi takes a walk to first and Dave Roberts is already pulling Gonsolin. It’s going to be a long night for the Dodgers bullpen.

8.44pm EDT 20:44

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

Mike Zunino hits a massive foul home run, the Rays are getting some solid pitches to hit so far. He takes the next pitch and then swings at a breaking ball he could have done nothing with. He takes the next pitch for a full-count, the Gonsolin pitch count is now at 39. Okay, 40 now as Zunino stays alive by fouling the next pitch off.

He just barely hits the next pitch, but it’s foul. Still 3-2. Now, Gonsolin gets him to swing and miss. Two down.

8.40pm EDT 20:40

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

Kevin Kiermaier hits one where the outfielders’ ain’t and ends up on second base with one out.

8.37pm EDT 20:37

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 2nd

Willy Adames strikes out looking to start the second.

8.36pm EDT 20:36

Email from Carl Taylor:

Well, that was quite a strain for Gonsolin at the start of this pivotal Game 6. Not sure he will last more than 4 innings and with Snell’s starts usually curtailed, what’s the odds that the winning pitcher comes from the bullpen?

Like 70% maybe? Gonsolin definitely is not long for this game no matter how well he settles down and neither team is going to be conservative about heading to the ‘pen. They will live their life like there’s no tomorrow, as Van Halen would say.

8.33pm EDT 20:33

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st

Justin Turner, probably the Dodgers’ most dangerous weapon this series, is up next with bases empty after Snell got those first two quick strikeouts. He gets ahead 0-2 here before seeing if he’ll swing at a ball outside. Turner does not, but he strikes out on the next pitch.

This time the bumper music is the Allman Brothers Band’s “Jessica.” Is it just going to be all hippie jam bands tonight?

8.31pm EDT 20:31

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st

And Snell immediately strikes out Corey Seager. Whew.

8.29pm EDT 20:29

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, bottom 1st

Mookie Betts leads things off… with a strikeout courtesy of Snell.

8.28pm EDT 20:28

Email from X-G titled “Dodgers in a blow out!”:

Hey Hunter, I sense it’s the City of angels year.. lakers, Dodgers, and the Rams! I gotta a feeling the rays have given all they had, reminiscent of the Lakers thrashing the Heat in the finals…7-1

Well they have to pitch a shutout the rest of the night, but it’s still on the table as a possibility.

8.25pm EDT 20:25

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 1st

Joey Wendle is up next, still runners on first-and-second. Wendle fouls a 1-2 pitch off of himself, somehow without flinching, and then strikes out to end the top of the inning. The Rays have struck first however. Oh hey, is that Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” as bumper music? I strongly approve of that (even if it would have been more appropriate if the San Francisco Giants were playing).

8.20pm EDT 20:20

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 1st

Manuel Margot takes a high pitch on 0-2. Nice take. 1-2. He fouls the next pitch off and then takes a pitch in the dirt. Gonsolin finally jams him and he flies out. Two out.

8.17pm EDT 20:17

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 1st

Brandon Lowe works a full count here and eventually takes a walk. There’s runners on first and second here, and still just one out in the inning.

8.13pm EDT 20:13

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 1st

Austin Meadows hits a single. Let’s be polite and say that Gonsolin has not settled in yet.

8.12pm EDT 20:12

Home Run! (Rays)

Rays 1-0 Dodgers, top 1st

And Arozarena hits a massive home run off of Gonsolin. The Rays strike first and super-fast.

8.10pm EDT 20:10

First pitch

Rays 0-0 Dodgers, top 1st

The first pitch is in there for a strike on Choi. Gonsolin gets two swings and misses and Choi’s out on just three pitches. Nice start that.

8.03pm EDT 20:03

Predictions

Okay, the game theoretically will be starting shortly. I suppose it’s last call for a prediction. I have the Dodgers winning tonight, a low-scoring affair where the Rays keep putting on the tying run late but can’t drive him in. Let’s say Dodgers 4, Rays 3.

Agree? Disagree? You could send your predictions here via email (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or tweet them to @HunterFelt.

7.59pm EDT 19:59

Apparently the thing about Gonsolin is that he’s a cat person. That’s a very, very cheap way to get otherwise neutral individuals to root for him and it’s absolutely working for me.

7.57pm EDT 19:57

Alex Rodriguez just interviewed Dave Roberts and mentioned his ALCS-changing Steal from 2004. It turns out that this is now considered “history.” I feel old, but I’m also rewatching the clip to see if it makes me feel a little better about the Boston Red Sox’s lost season. (Not really, but it was worth a try.)

7.52pm EDT 19:52

Dodgers lineup

Manager Dave Roberts will bring out the following:

1. Mookie Betts, RF

2. Corey Seager, SS

3. Justin Turner, 3B

4. Max Muncy, 1B

5. Will Smith, DH

6. Cody Bellinger, CF

7. Chris Taylor, 2B

8. A.J. Pollock, LF

9. Austin Barnes, C

7.50pm EDT 19:50

Rays lineup

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash has gone lefty-heavy with Tony Gonsolin on the mound.

1. Ji-Man Choi, 1B

2. Randy Arozarena, LF

3. Austin Meadows, DH

4. Brandon Lowe, 2B

5. Manuel Margot, RF

6. Joey Wendle, 3B

7. Willy Adames, SS

8. Kevin Kiermaier, CF

9. Mike Zunino, C

7.45pm EDT 19:45

I’ll say this about team sports: in the most uncertain year of many of our lives, it’s good to sit down and watch something and know that there will be a definitive resolution in a matter of hours. If the Dodgers end the game having scored more runs than the Rays. they win the World Series. If the Rays have more runs, there will be a Game 7 tomorrow. It won’t take weeks to sort out, there’s no way that either team could just refuse to leave the field and have some sort of higher authority eventually declare them winners.

7.38pm EDT 19:38

With the Dodgers on the verge of winning their first World Series since 1988, there is sure to be at least one or two references to Kirk Gibson’s legendary home run from that particular World Series (although that was a Game 1 rather than a deciding game, it should be pointed out).

7.31pm EDT 19:31

Should the Dodgers win today, there will probably be celebrating going on in Los Angeles. Normally, that’s a positive thing or at the very least neutral. However, considering the reports that the festivities following the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA Finals victory almost certainly contributed to the spike of Covid-19 cases. So, LA’s department of health has sounded an alarm:

“As fans continue to watch and celebrate the mighty LA sport teams, we are mindful that if individuals are not adhering to the health officer order requirements of distancing, infection control and masking, cases will continue to rise which, unfortunately, not only leads to increased illness and deaths, but also slows down our recovery journey,”

7.26pm EDT 19:26

Today’s Starting Pitchers

The Rays will start Blake Snell, while the Dodgers will go with Tony Gonsolin. However, those will most likely just be the opening attractions, look for both teams to empty out their pitching staffs and play this game like there is no tomorrow because, well, there might not be.

7.21pm EDT 19:21

Preamble

Well, I’ll give credit where credit is due. It was a weird, pandemic-shortened MLB season but at least it’s ending with some drama. Despite coming in as underdogs to a much-more heralded Los Angeles Dodgers team, the Tampa Bay Rays have managed to make the World Series, well, a series. At the very least, no one will ever forget the dramatic-yet-silly way they stole Game 4. The Dodgers struck back in Game 5, buoyed by yet another strong start from longtime ace Clayton Kershaw, who has now put his past October struggles in the rearview mirror. The Dodgers are up 3-2 in the series and just need a win today to secure a championship.

It’s a little difficult to wrap one’s head around the fact that the Dodgers, who have consistently been one of the best teams In the National League, have not actually won a championship. That’s October baseball for you, eight straight postseason appearances have ended with failure. Should they blow this 3-2 World Series lead to the Rays, it will certainly continue the narrative of them being underachievers, and the inexplicable way they completely melted down in Game 4 will go from just being a strange but entertaining game to the 21st century’s closest equivalent to Game 6 between the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets way back in 1986.

That, of course, would be selling the Rays short. They don’t have as much talent as this Dodgers lineup, and a comparatively tiny fanbase, but even when they’ve come up short, they have continued to the put the pressure on their more heralded opponents. If they can pull off a win today, they will force LA to play a Game 7. As exciting as those are for casual fans, no team wants their entire season to come down to a single game where, as they say, anything can happen.

So those are the stakes for Game 6: either it ends today or the Rays extend the MLB season for one more game. That means we’re in “speak now or forever hold your peace” territory. If you want to contribute to today’s liveblog, you can send us your thoughts via email (to Hunter.Felt.Freelance@theguardian.com) or via Twitter (to @HunterFelt). Game 6 is scheduled to start at 8:00 pm EST, but obviously, we’ll be back before then.