The Los Angeles Dodgers, with nothing left to play for, concluded the regular season with a 2-1 win against the Colorado Rockies, picking up the series sweep.
They had already clinched the best record in baseball yesterday, guaranteeing them home-field advantage throughout the World Series. The Dodgers’ only goal for their final game was to stay healthy, and they accomplished that.
Perhaps the only truly disappointing part of the game was Shohei Ohtani failing to catch up to Luis Arraez in the race for the batting title. Ohtani entered the game with an outside chance to win the Triple Crown, but went 1-for-4 in the game, finishing up with a .310 average.
Still, in the grand scheme of things, entering the playoffs with his health is far more important to him and the club.
The Dodgers did not score for most of the game, but had another late comeback started by a game-tying solo home run from Chris Taylor in the eighth inning.
Austin Barnes ended up singling in the inning with one out, and Ohtani followed with another single to put two runners on. After a double steal that got Ohtani his 59th stolen base of the season, the Dodgers took the lead on a balk.
Landon Knack also looked sharp in his final tuneup start before the postseason. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts already shared Knack would be one of the team’s four starters, or at least pitch in a bulk role in one of the games.
The Dodgers went with an opener today, giving Anthony Banda the start as he pitched one scoreless inning. Knack took down the next four, giving up one run on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
The Rockies’ only run against him was a solo home run by Sam Hilliard that traveled 476 feet in the second inning.
After Knack, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Edgardo Enriquez shut down the Rockies to close it out.
With Henriquez recording the save, the Dodgers set a new franchise record for pitchers with a save in a single season at 14.
What’s next for the Dodgers?
The Dodgers now have six days off before they begin the National League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Dodger Stadium. They’ll take Monday off and have an optional workout on Tuesday before fully ramping up the next three days.
Who they will play in the NLDS is still to be determined based on the outcome of the Wild Card series. The San Diego Padres are locked in as one of the teams playing in that series but their opponent is still to be determined.
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