Facing a familiar postseason predicament, the Dodgers resolved to attack one major obstacle at a time and Jose Lima vowed to lead them.
The flamboyant pitcher fed off the energy of postseason-starved fans Saturday night and the Dodgers followed him to a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League division series in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 55,992 at Dodger Stadium.
The right-hander dazzled in a five-hitter, tossing the Dodgers' first postseason shutout since Orel Hershiser dominated the Oakland Athletics in Game 2 of the 1988 World Series. It seemed only fitting that the stadium's largest crowd since that game did its part to help the Dodgers stave off elimination in the best-of-five series and record their first playoff victory in four presidential administrations.
"I told you I was going to bring my 'A' game. I wasn't going to let these guys down," said Lima, who dropped to one knee, pumped his right fist and prayed as the Dodgers and the crowd celebrated the final out.
"I was going to bring everything I have in my heart for this ballclub and to the fans.... Our season was not going to end this night. No way."
Fans made their presence felt in boosting the Dodgers' spirits -- waving "Think Blue" rally towels and maintaining high-volume support from the outset -- as playoff baseball returned to Chavez Ravine for the first time in eight years.
"If there is such a thing as fans rising to another level," Manager Jim Tracy said, "then they definitely did that tonight."
Lima said the fans' good vibes helped him to deliver on his pregame promise to extend the series to Game 4 today at Dodger Stadium.
He silenced the league's top batting order in a clutch show-stopping performance -- retiring the side in order in the third, fourth, sixth and ninth -- that lifted the Dodgers after two losses at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals never threatened after Tony Womack was stranded at third in the first.
"It's all different now," Lima said. "It's a new series now."
Shawn Green and Steve Finley played the biggest roles in helping Lima and the Dodgers, whose previous playoff victory occurred Oct. 20, 1988, in Game 5 of the World Series at Oakland.
Green became the first Dodger to have a multi-homer postseason game since Eric Karros in the 1995 division series, and Finley finally provided the timely two-out hit that had eluded the Dodgers in St. Louis. He drove in all the runs Lima would need with a two-run, bases-loaded, broken-bat double in the third. Finley's first hit of the series occurred after the Dodgers caught a break on a missed call on Lima's sacrifice bunt.
