Dodgers: Adrian Gonzalez Recalls Padres Reaction to LA’s 4+1 Game

It stands as one of the most iconic moments in the history of the Dodgers. The game commonly referred to as the “4+1 game.” It’s something I looked back on earlier this year, so check that out here if you’d like.

The TL;DR version: LA was down by 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning against the San Diego Padres. Jeff Kent, JD Drew, Russell Martin, and Marlon Anderson connected on 4 consecutive home runs to tie the game before Nomar Garciaparra hit the walkoff bomb in the next inning.

Something that may be easier forgotten over the years is that one-time Dodger Adrian Gonzalez was on that Padres team. In a conversation with Dodgers Nation recently, A-Gon pointed to that game as a moment when San Diego could have crumbled. Moreover, he related that to the Dodgers and the Padres going head-to-head this year, looking back at that Trent Grisham home run game against LA.

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You know every game means a lot … no matter what the outcome is … you can’t let the highs get too high or the lows get too low. … I remember [the 4+1 game] when I was with the Padres. Everybody thought the Dodgers were going to go on and win the division after that game. Because everyone got so high on that victory, but there was still another 7 games left.

I learned a lot from that team by the way the clubhouse responded to that loss — everyone in that clubhouse responded like, ‘hey, I understand it was a very emotional loss, but tomorrow we win and we win x amount of games and we win the division.’ … It didn’t count for 10 losses, it counted for one.

Notably, as you may remember, the Padres went wild after Trent Grisham hit a go-ahead home run off Clayton Kershaw early this past September. It was a painful loss, but the Dodgers went on to win the next two games and sweep San Diego in the NLDS.

Perspective and a little veteran presence goes a long way.

NEXT: Adrian Gonzalez Talks Watching the Dodgers Get Over the World Series Hump