Long-forgotten Guardian could hold the keys to Dodgers’ World Series success 

There’s no denying the Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the best rosters in all of baseball. 

While Shohei Ohtani (understandably) gets a ton of attention for his two-way heroics, they have two more MVPs in their lineup in the form of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and a rotation that consists of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Cy Young winner Blake Snell. 

But one of their most important players on their roster could Alex Call, an unheralded former Guardians outfielder who has had just nine postseason at-bats this year. 

After starting the season with the Washington Nationals, the Dodgers acquired Call at the trade deadline to provide some right-handed thump off their bench. And he’s done that in his limited work this postseason, as he’s gone 4-for-9 in six games in the Dodgers’ march toward the World Series. 

Although the Dodgers were able to pick up a huge win in 18 innings on Monday night, Toronto bounced back with a 6-2 win on Tuesday to even the series up at two games apiece. The loss put the Dodgers’ outfield struggles on full display, as Andy Pages, Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández and Call combined to go 1-for-10 in the loss. 

Pages’ struggles this postseason have been incredibly pronounced (.080 batting average), which could lead to manager Dave Roberts making a chance in Game 5 tonight. 

“I'm going to think long and hard, and it might look a little bit different tomorrow,” Roberts said, per MLB.com. "Essentially, it's, 'Am I gonna play Andy, am I gonna play Call or am I gonna play [Miguel Rojas]? So, just kind of trying to think through all that stuff and ... see what gives us the best chance."

Former Guardian Alex Call could end up playing a huge role for the Dodgers tonight 

Roberts has mostly used Call in a platoon role so far this postseason. He has yet to play all nine innings in any game he’s appeared in, though he has recorded a hit in four of his six appearances. 

That usage is similar to how things went after the Dodgers acquired him at the trade deadline, as he only had 73 at-bats across the final two months of the season.

The Guardians acquired Call as a prospect in 2018 in exchange for Yonder Alonso and he appeared in 12 games with Cleveland in 2022 before being designated for assignment. 

While the right-handed hitting Call’s career batting is more than 20 points better against left-handed hitting (.259 vs. .232), he had more at-bats against right-handed hitters in his time with the Dodgers and hit .263. 

The Blue Jays are starting right-handed pitcher Trey Yesavage tonight. 

Call suddenly being thrust into a big spot is part of the beauty of baseball. The Dodgers have one of the biggest payrolls in baseball, but their roster-wise slump means that Call is suddenly an incredibly important piece at a pivotal point in the World Series.