Charlie Morton made the slow stroll to the dugout after one of the worst starts of his stellar, and somewhat improbable, four-year postseason run. …
Charlie Morton made the slow stroll to the dugout after one of the worst starts of his stellar, and somewhat improbable, four-year postseason run. Could that walk be his last? The lanky right-hander allowed seven hits and five runs in 4 1/3 innings of a 6-2 loss to Los Angeles in Game 3 of the World Series on Friday night, ending Morton’s bid to tie Orlando Hernandez’s record eight straight winning postseason decisions. The Dodgers lead the series 2-1. It was the first time the Dodgers had seen Morton in the postseason since he threw four scoreless innings to finish Houston’s 5-1 win in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series in LA. “I never really felt comfortable out there,” Morton said. “Even in playoff games, I’m able to eventually get there if I don’t get there early. And I just never did. Combine that with who they are with the bat, and it made for a rough night.” Morton was coming off a victory over the Astros in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series that extended his major league record to four career victories in winner-take-all games. It was the second of two scoreless outings against Houston in the ALCS. This one wasn’t winner-take-all, and Morton was rather ordinary in an otherwise extraordinary postseason career for an understated, and largely unknown, pitcher who overcame Tommy John elbow surgery and two hip operations to turn a 46-71 record through his first nine big league seasons into a 47-18 mark since.
