In light of Major League Baseball making every game from 2018 and 2019 available to stream for free on MLB.TV, DodgerBlue.com ranked the best selections for those involving the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At No. 6 is a dramatic win over the Colorado Rockies in Game 163 to clinch a sixth consecutive National League West title. Despite vowing they would avoid any sort of hangover from making their first World Series appearance in 29 years, the Dodgers were slow out of the game in 2018.
Granted, much of that was related to Justin Turner beginning the season on the injured list after sustaining a fractured left wrist in Spring Training, and Clayton Kershaw battled biceps and lower back injuries.
The Dodgers’ 16-24 record marked their worst 40-game start in L.A. franchise history, and at 16-26 it was the worst ever through 42 games. They spent the rest of the season fighting to climb back up the NL West standings.
A weekend sweep of the San Francisco Giants, coupled with the Rockies failing to put the division away, set the stage for a Game 163 at Dodger Stadium. Although the teams entered the matchup with identical records, the Dodgers earned home-field advantage by virtue of going 12-7 in their head-to-head meetings with Colorado.
L.A. entrusted rookie Walker Buehler on the mound, and he didn’t disappoint. Buehler did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, and in all tossed 6.2 innings. He allowed just the one hit, walked three and had six strikeouts. Buehler also helped out his own cause at the plate with an RBI single.
The Dodgers first took a 2-0 lead behind Cody Bellinger’s home run in the fourth inning. That was despite Rockies starter German Marquez striking out four batters in the inning. Marquez then struggled in the fifth as Joc Pederson’s double set the table for Max Muncy’s two-run homer.
Kenley Jansen surrendered back-to-back home runs to Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story in the ninth inning before closing out a 5-2 victory that clinched the NL West and put the Dodgers into the NL Division Series.
Best Dodgers games of 2018
No. 7: Matt Kemp delivers clutch pinch-hit home run against Arizona Diamondbacks
No. 8: Yasiel Puig hits three home runs against St. Louis Cardinals
No. 9: Rout of San Francisco Giants to complete sweep and set stage for Game 163 to decide NL West
No. 10: Record seven home runs hit in extra-innings win against New York Mets
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