Dodgers' Curse: Diamondbacks' Perfect Heist

Dodgers Vs Diamondbacks

'The Curse of Chavez Ravine: A Diamondback Heist Gone Wrong'

Los Angeles, October 2023

The Dodgers were supposed to cruise. A stacked roster, home-field advantage, and a fanbase hungry for another World Series run. But the Arizona Diamondbacks—young, hungry, and underestimated—had other plans. What followed wasn’t just an upset. It was a heist. And like all great crimes, it left behind unanswered questions.

The Setup: A Team Built to Lose

The Diamondbacks weren’t supposed to be here. A year earlier, they’d lost 88 games. Analysts dismissed them as a fluke, a pesky Wild Card team that would crumble under the bright lights of Dodger Stadium. But Arizona played like a crew with nothing to lose—because they didn’t.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers were the kings of Chavez Ravine, a $200-million powerhouse with MVP candidates and Cy Young arms. But something was off. The bats went cold at the worst moments. The pitching, usually bulletproof, cracked under pressure. And the Diamondbacks? They smelled blood.

The Heist: Three Games, Three Silent Killings

Game 1: Merrill Kelly, a former Dodgers farmhand, returned like a ghost from the past, carving up L.A.’s lineup with surgical precision. The Dodgers stranded runners like they were leaving clues behind on purpose. Final: 11-2, Diamondbacks.

Game 2: Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ aging ace, lasted just one-third of an inning. Six runs. The stadium fell into stunned silence. Was this the end of an era? The Diamondbacks ran the bases like thieves in the night, stealing, bunting, and exploiting every weakness. Final: 4-2, Diamondbacks.

Game 3: A sweep in the making. The Dodgers’ bats woke up—briefly—but Arizona’s bullpen slammed the door. Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll played like men possessed, diving catches, clutch hits. When the final out came, the Diamondbacks celebrated like they’d just pulled off the perfect crime. Final: 4-2, Diamondbacks.

The Aftermath: Conspiracy or Collapse?

Fans demanded answers. Was it bad luck? Or something darker?

The Kershaw Conundrum: Why did Dave Roberts leave him in so long? Some whispered the front office had already given up, sacrificing the series to avoid a worse humiliation later.

The Missing Bats: Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman combined for one hit in the series. Were they injured? Or had the Diamondbacks cracked some hidden code in their swings?

The Diamondback Whisperer: Arizona’s pitching coach, Brent Strom, was a former Astros employee. Coincidence? Or had he brought more than just expertise from Houston?

The Fallout

The Dodgers’ dynasty was suddenly in question. Roberts’ job hung by a thread. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, rode their momentum all the way to the World Series—only to fall short. But the damage was done.

The NLDS sweep became more than an upset. It was a warning: in baseball, like in crime, the perfect plan can come from the last crew you’d ever suspect.

And in the shadows of Chavez Ravine, some still wonder… was it really just baseball?

Case Unsolved.

Dodgers' Curse: Diamondbacks' Perfect Heist

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