Hyun-Jin Ryu completed a ‘Maddux’ (complete-game shutout on fewer than 100 pitches) and Justin Turner slugged three home runs for the first time in his career to help the Los Angeles Dodgers extend their winning streak at Dodger Stadium to nine games behind a 9-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
It additionally guaranteed the Dodgers would not lose a series to the Braves for the first time since July 2015 and gave them an MLB-leading 24th win this season.
Keeping with what’s held true in each of his starts this year, Ryu pounded the zone and retired the first 15 batters faced. Tyler Flowers ended Ryu’s bid for history by leading off the sixth inning with a line-drive single that got by Turner’s diving attempt.
Up to that point, Ryu nearly allowed a baserunner on three separate occasions. He was saved by Max Muncy’s leaping catch to snag a line drive for the final out in the third inning.
Then in the fifth inning, Ryu went to a three-ball count on Ronald Acuña Jr., who struck out looking. Ender Inciarte also worked the count full before pulling a chopper to the right side.
It got by David Freese but Muncy’s sliding stop and throw to Ryu, who won a foot race to the bag, preserved the perfect game for the time being. Cody Bellinger’s shoestring catch in right field to end the seventh inning ended the Braves’ biggest threat at snapping the shutout.
Atlanta ultimately finished with four hits off Ryu. The complete game was the second of his career and first since doing so in a shutout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on March 28, 2013, when they also didn’t score a run. Tuesday’s had the additional aura of coming on just 93 pitches.
Sandy Koufax remains the holder of the only perfect game in Dodgers franchise history, accomplishing the feat on Sept. 9, 1965. The Dodgers have had 23 no-hitters.
As Ryu was carving his way through the Braves lineup, the Dodgers again started the scoring early. Turner’s solo home run started a three-run first inning that saw Max Muncy drive in a pair when his infield single kicked off Dansby Swanson’s glove.
Turner added an RBI single in the second inning and clubbed his third home run of the year in the fifth. He then lifted a three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth, giving Turner a first career three-homer game and career-best six RBI.
While Turner’s seven-game hitting streak was snapped in the series finale against the San Diego Padres, he’s hit safely in nine of his past 10 games, with five of those being multi-hit performances.
