PHILADELPHIA — The pair of geese lay tilted on their sides. One rested on a table; the other had been set on the floor, propped up against the base of an unoccupied couch like a somber, listless footnote to the story of the visiting clubhouse.
It was hard to imagine the placement was intended as symbolic—this kind of loss allows little time for symbolism—but it was harder still not to notice it. The replica geese are representatives not just of the Padres’ playoff run, but specifically of the chaotic, spirited energy that drove their come-from-behind NLDS win over the Dodgers. (Which, of course, featured a real, live goose on the field.) That was the style of play that put them in the NLCS. And what happened in Game 4 on Saturday felt like a complete inversion of that principle for San Diego.
There was chaotic, spirited energy here, all right. But it ultimately went against the Padres. After a 10–6 loss that saw the teams combine for 13 pitchers, two ties and one wild lead change, the season is on the brink for San Diego. The metaphorical goose may not be cooked just yet. But its literal equivalents are laid out in the visitors’ clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park.
