It was a struggle for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they were still able to come away with a 10-9 victory in the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The biggest swing of the night came from Will Smith, who has been in the midst of a tough stretch at the plate since the All-Star break, But with a 6-5 lead in the seventh, Smith blasted a three-run homer to give the Dodgers some breathing room.
It’s was Smith’s first hit since Aug. 24 and his first homer since Aug. 13.
The Dodgers scored early in the game when Shohei Ohtani started the day with a double and Freddie Freeman followed with a two-run homer. It was his first day back in the lineup after three games off due to his fractured finger.
Miguel Rojas also gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead in the second inning with an RBI single, which concluded a run of three-straight hits from the Dodgers. After Ohtani was hit by a pitch, Mookie Betts hit a sacrifice fly to put the Dodgers up 4-2, and Freeman grounded out to drive in their fifth run.
The Dodgers scored their sixth run when a wild pitch allowed Max Muncy to score after he reached on a double and advanced to third base on a ground out
In what proved to be the game-winning hit and also the most historic, Ohtani blasted his 43rd home run of the season in the eighth inning. After stealing a base earlier in the game, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to reach at least 43 home runs and 43 stolen bases in a single season.
Alex Rodriguez held the previous record of a 42-42 season when he hit 42 home runs and stole 46 bases for the 1998 Seattle Mariners.
Overall, the Dodgers bullpen had a strong day. Joe Kelly, who threw 46 pitches over 1.2 innings, allowed two runs as the only Dodgers reliever that didn’t keep the Diamondbacks off the board until the ninth.
However, he was put into a tough situation and asked to eat two innings due to Clayton Kershaw’s injury.
Kershaw allowed two runs in the first inning before he allowed a solo home run in the second inning and promptly left the game.
Alex Vesia (1.1 innings), Ryan Brasier, Michael Kopech, Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen all worked scoreless innings.
Anthony Banda pitched the ninth but allowed four runs, two on a single and two more on a homer. However, he still closed out the win.
Clayton Kershaw exits start early for Dodgers
Kershaw was removed from his start due to left big toe pain, the Dodgers announced.
Kershaw was taken out of the game after giving up a solo home run to Corbin Carroll to lead off the bottom of the second inning. His final pitch was a 67.4 mph curveball, and the one prior to that was an 87.2 mph fastball.
Kershaw appeared to gingerly walk off the mound as Carroll’s home run sailed into the stands, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and head athletic trainer Thomas Albert quickly went out to the mound.
There wasn’t any conversation with Kershaw, or objection from him, as Roberts informed the home-plate umpire of an injury and took the ball from the left-hander.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
