Adam Amin Crushed It

The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers combined to paint a masterpiece last night in Chavez Ravine. Game 2 had more twists and turns than a Knives Out sequel and ended after 3 hours and 34 minutes of sheer delirium with the series level. Clutch hitting, steely-nerved pitching, and extraordinary defense abounded at every opportunity and it was easy, as a viewer, to get whisked away to that magical baseball place where you can close your eyes and feel every dip and dive of the roller coaster.

It was impossible to watch and not notice just how incredible of a product the Major League Baseball playoffs are when two sides refuse to budge closer to elimination. And the energy and excitement was appropriately magnified by Adam Amin, who sounded as though he was having the time of his life with each highlight-reel occurrence.

Amin is one of the best broadcasters striding to a microphone these days, so it should come as no surprise. Given the assignment of the most alluring matchup of the Divisional Round (with soon-to-be World Series voice Joe Davis working Atlanta-Philadelphia) he's risen to the occasion.

Particularly in the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Dodgers used back-to-back web gems to stay within one run. First it was the armoire-shaped Brusdar Graterol showing the reflexes of a big cat to field a bunt by Trent Grisham and fire a submarine strike to cut down Wil Myers at home plate.

Then it was Cody Bellinger jackknifing his way to corral a blast to deep centerfield.

"I ask you again: do you like defense?" Amin bellowed, channeling a new twist on a Russell Crowe classic. "Because these two teams are putting on a clinic."

Scrolling through the real-time reactions on Twitter is dicey and depressing business yet it remains the only imperfect lens. When you do that you see some lunkheads chastising him for being too excited. They couldn't be more wrong and hopelessly lost.

Because what you heard from Amin was a fan of the game being swept away by a river of authentic excitement. He didn't turn it up to 10 because he wanted to show off or make it about himself — a device that's far too common. This was a real moment of appreciation and joy. The type everyone should have been feeling if they allowed themselves.

Amin does the basic blocking and tackling so well that the explosions feel warranted. And almost essential because trying to stay reserved wouldn't have done the game justice. Instead he painted what needed to be painted, which was a tapestry of vibrant almost neon colors.

Perhaps the question was rhetorical. Let's answer it anyway. Yes, we like defense. Almost as much as we like that feeling of having that much fun late on a Wednesday, not knowing what was coming around the next corner yet tingling with anticipation nonetheless.