Dodgers postgame

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The scene in the Dodgers’ clubhouse wasn’t quite as wild as it was on the night they clinched the NL West title.

Jonathan Broxton, who closed the game with a four-out save, repeatedly had champagne and beer poured over his head.

Broxton, who when first when handed closing duties denied that pitching the ninth was any different than pitching the eighth, admitted that, yes, he felt different when he made the climb on the mound tonight.

“It’s the playoffs,” he said. “It’s the game-clinching one.”

Russell Martin looked relieved.

“It feels pretty good,” he said. “I like to drink champagne rather than have it thrown on my head, but this is great.”

Ned Colletti, who became the first Dodgers general manager to win a playoff series since Fred Claire, made sure to point out the contributions of advance scouts Tony Howell and Vance Lovelace.

“Tony watched these guys for two weeks,” Colletti said. “Vance watched them for eight or nine days.”

On my way back from Chicago on Monday morning, I was on the same flight as Blake DeWitt’s parents, Mike and Lynne, who will be with the Dodgers on every step of their playoff run.

Mike works at the power plant and said he was using his vacation time to be with the team. Lynne is an elementary school teacher and said she asked for a substitute. They said they were hoping the Dodgers would sweep the Cubs so they could get back to work for a couple of days.

“It’s a big week for Sikeston,” Mike said of the Missouri town of 17,000 people that the DeWitts call home.

Neal Boyd, who won this season’s “America’s Got Talent” competition on NBC, also hails from Sikeston.

-- Dylan Hernandez