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The Dodgers allowed just 600 runs, fewest in the game, but 172 long balls; 43% of the runs they allowed came on homers, well above the league average. When the Blue Jays nearly upset the Dodgers in the World Series, they hit eight homers and scored 18 of their 35 runs on homers. When the Padres went up 2-1 in the 2024 Division Series, they hit eight homers in the series’ first three games. Dodgers pitchers had the third-highest strikeout rate and sixth-lowest walk rate this year...but a middle of the pack barrel rate. Of the four Division Series, this is the one most likely to come down to troglodyte ball, to “ball go far, team go far,” because it’s both how the Braves are most likely to score and the most likely way the Dodgers will give up runs.
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