Dodgers Win in Dramatic Fashion as Justin Turner Hits a Walk-Off Home Run to Beat The Cubs, 4-1, in Game 2 of NLCS

Six more wins.

Justin Turner hit a dramatic, three-run, walk-off home run and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs, 4-1, in thrilling fashion in Game 2 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.

Turner hit the second pitch he saw off John Lackey deep over the centerfield wall for the game-winning home run, and sent a sellout crowd of 54,479 into a frenzy as the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead in the series as it shifts to the Windy City on Tuesday.

"I can't even put it into words right now," Turner said after the game. "It's incredible. The most important thing was, obviously, helping us get another win. Hopefully, many, many years from now I'll get to tell stories about it."

Rich Hill and Jon Lester took turns throwing four shutout innings before both teams scored a run in the top of the fifth.

Addison Russell sent an 89MPH fastball from Hill into the short porch in left field for a leadoff homer, and the Cubs led 1-0.

The Cubs strike first! Addison Russell goes yard in the 5th to put the Cubs up 1-0! #NLCS #MLBonTBS pic.twitter.com/cxmoBPIi0v— TBS Network (@TBSNetwork) October 16, 2017

Hill missed his location on the pitch as Dodgers' catcher Austin Barnes clearly wanted the pitch low and outside, but it hung right over the heart of the plate.

"Austin did a great job behind the dish," Hill said of his catcher. "Other than that one pitch to Russell, the ball came out of my hand the way I wanted it to."

In his sixth career postseason start, Hill did not factor in the decision, as he allowed one run on three hits with one walk and a playoff-high eight strikeouts in five innings.

"I wanted to stay out there," continued Hill. "But our bullpen has been doing such a heck of a job, they're the best in the league and they continue to show it." 

Hill has never faced the Cubs—the team that drafted him in the fourth round in 2002—in the regular season, but famously faced them in Game 3 of the NLCS last season when he fired six scoreless innings in a 6-0, Dodgers victory.

"There was a lot of learning for us last year. We had a lot of guys who hadn't been in the postseason," Hill said of what he learned from last season's experience. "Now we get to build off of that experience from last year and use it into this year and continue to keep going."

Jon Lester allowed a leadoff double to Charlie Culberson to start the Dodgers half of the fifth inning, and scored three batters later when Justin Turner knocked in the equalizer with an RBI single to right field.

All tied up. #ThisTeam pic.twitter.com/2oLWrnLEkx— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 16, 2017

Culberson was placed on the NLCS roster as a last minute addition after All-Star Corey Seager was unable to suit up due to a lower back injury.

In his stead, Culberson is 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored.

Lester did not factor in the decision, allowing one run on three hits with five walks and two strikeouts in 4 and 2/3 innings. It was the first time in 21 career postseason starts that Lester failed to complete at least five innings.

"I thought Johnny Lester, we hung with him as long as we could," said Cubs' manager Joe Maddon. "If we had gotten Jonny deeper into that game, then the bullpen usage could be different."

Lester came into Game 4 of the NLDS against the Washington Nationals in relief, and made his start on Sunday on three days rest.

Both bullpens threw three scoreless innings of relief, but the difference in the game came down to both managers and both closers. 

Dave Roberts went to Kenley Jansen in the top of the ninth with the game tied at 1-1. Jansen struck out Kris Bryant to start the inning, but then hit Anthony Rizzo on the hand with a 96MPH cut-fastball, ending the bullpens streak of consecutive batters retired at 24.

"They're just executing pitches and they're ready when called upon and they're competing," Roberts said of his bullpen. "Those guys know exactly what they want to do, and they're going out there and executing."

Jansen would get out of the inning, eventually earning his first career postseason win, and the Dodgers would head to the bottom of the ninth. 

"That was the plan," Jansen said of pitching the ninth despite it not being a save situation. "These guys have been doing a tremendous job in the 8th inning trying to mess up to not let me pitch in the 9th [regular season]. So they've helped keep me fresh. We know that this moment's going to come, and we know that I'm going to throw multiple innings, so I was ready for it."

Instead of opting for closer Wade Davis, Cubs' manager Joe Maddon stayed with LHP Brian Duensing who walked Yasiel Puig to start the inning. 

"I just needed him [Davis] for the save tonight," said Maddon about his decision not to bring his closer into the game. "He had limited pitches. So if we had caught the lead, he would have pitched. That's it."

Two batters later, Maddon went to 39-year-old John Lackey over Davis, despite the fact that Lackey had never made back-to-back appearances in relief in his career. 

"He was going to pitch the next inning, too, and the righties were coming up right there," continued Maddon on why he went to Lackey. "I liked him a lot on the first guy, Taylor."

Lackey walked Chris Taylor before allowing the game-winning home run to Turner. 

JUSTIN. TURNER. CLUTCH.#NLCS pic.twitter.com/bX2DCTvx8R— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 16, 2017

"Once that walk occurred, all bets were off against Taylor," concluded Maddon. "Nobody is a great matchup against Turner, so it just did not work out."

After an MLB-best 47 comebacks in the regular season, the Dodgers have completed three comebacks in the postseason, including two straight in the NLCS.

Since the League Championship series expanded to seven games in 1985, only three of the 28 teams that lost the first two games of the series came back to win. The Royals in 1985, the Cardinals in 1985 over the Dodgers, and the Red Sox, who rallied from an 0-3 hole to beat the Yankees in 2004.

History Repeats Itself:

There have only ever been two walk-off home runs in Dodgers postseason history. Justin Turner's on Sunday, and Kirk Gibson's iconic pinch-hit walk-off home run against the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

Ironically, (or maybe destiny), Gibson's dramatic home run that immortalized Vin Scully's voice as Gibson limped around the bases occurred exactly 29 years ago today.

"One of my earliest memories was being at my Grandma's house and watching that game and watching Gibby hit that homer," said Turner of hitting his first career walk-off home run of his career 29 years to the date as Gibson's.

Up Next:

The series shifts to Chicago where RHP Yu Darvish will start Game 3 at Wrigley Field opposite RHP Kyle Kendricks at 6:01PM PST.