LOS ANGELES — While Manny Ramirez has provided a spectacular boost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Casey Blake’s contributions haven’t gotten nearly as much attention.
“It’s good,” the soft-spoken Blake said. “I don’t need the attention.”
Manager Joe Torre said the quiet, efficient work ethic of the 35-year-old third baseman has been a positive influence on the Dodgers, who acquired him from Cleveland on July 16.
“I keep going back to Casey Blake, to when he came on board,” Torre said. “I thought (he) was a good example for these youngsters, because when you’re inexperienced, you have a tendency to get overexcited when it’s good and overly depressed when it’s bad. “I think Casey showed them that whether you make an error or hit a home run, it’s a job. You have to go out there every day and be the same person.”
Blake went 3-for-8, scored twice and drove in two runs to help the Dodgers take a 2-0 lead in their first-round NL playoff series against the Chicago Cubs. He hit .251, with 10 homers and 23 RBIs in 59 games for the Dodgers and a combined .274, with 21 homers and 81 RBIs this year.
“He’s a great infielder, he’s a professional hitter, and I’m just glad he’s on my team,” said Ramirez, acquired from Boston five days after the Dodgers obtained Blake.
Although Blake wanted to stay in Cleveland, he got to join a contender — which made it to the postseason.
“This was a great opportunity for me,” Blake said. “I like Cleveland, really enjoyed my time there, had some great friends, great teammates. I’d been there for a while and it was hard to leave, but you know something like this can happen. You kind of put yourself in different scenarios with different teams, and I guess when it happened, this was a scenario that I’d want to come into.”
A native of Indianola, Iowa, who played at Wichita State, Blake had to make some adjustments when he was traded from Cleveland, where he had played since 2003.
“I’m a Midwest guy,” he said. “There are just a lot more people out here than I’m used to, a lot more traffic. But the fans have been great. They have a huge fan base out here.”
And he’s found things to like about Southern California.
“My wife and I are staying down at the beach for a couple of days,” Blake said. “It’s real pretty down there, something I don’t get to do every day.”
Like Ramirez, pitcher Derek Lowe is happy to have Blake around.
“He’s solidified third base, he has a quiet leader type of mentality, and he’s been in the playoffs before,” Lowe said. “I know people look at our record and say, ‘How did they make it?’ We’re a totally different team now.
“It’s an exciting time of year because you’ve added the right people. Instead of getting guys that you don’t really know what they’re going to give you, we’ve gotten guys that you know what you’re going to get — and they’ve delivered.”
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