Monday was shaping up to be a forgettable night at Dodger Stadium.
Then, the Dodgers delivered an unforgettable ending in the bottom of the ninth.
Trailing by two runs to the Miami Marlins, the team mounted a three-run rally on the back of quality at-bats, a big swing from Shohei Ohtani and a walk-off hit from Kyle Tucker, who lined a two-run, two-out single to center to lift the Dodgers to a 5-4 win.
“We just know as an offense we’re never out of it,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “We can always look over a baseball, work walks, work at-bats, and it worked tonight.”
That Tucker was the one who produced the game-winning swing made it all the more memorable.
Entering Monday, Tucker was batting just .238. He was less than a week removed from being dropped from second to fourth in the team’s star-studded lineup. And he had been 0-for-4 previously on the night.
“He needed a win,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s been grinding and trying to find some success and some good fortune.”
But by the time he came up, the Dodgers provided the opportunity, having a built a rally against Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks.
It started with leadoff walks from Andy Pages and Dalton Rushing. It was further ignited by a run-scoring ground-rule double from Ohtani, who one-hopped a line drive over the short wall in the right-field corner. After that, Freeman received an intentional free pass while Fairbanks left the game with an injury. Thus, it all came down to Tucker, who with two outs represented the Dodgers’ last chance.
“Guys had phenomenal at-bats right there at the end,” Tucker said. “Just having the opportunity is huge.”
Two pitches later, he made sure to take advantage, connecting on a game-winning hit that prompted his teammates to mob him around first base.
“I do think that a moment like this, even for a player that’s been around a long time, can kind of inspire more confidence in him, which is good thing,” Roberts said. “I think this is the floor of what he’s going to be doing this year, and I think it’s the needle is pointing up.”
Entering the ninth, any comeback bid had felt unlikely.
The Dodgers (20-9) hadn’t scored since Teoscar Hernández’s two-run single in the first. They had squandered that lead on Liam Hicks’ three-run homer against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the fifth. They had left the bases loaded in the seventh. They had gone 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, slipping back into the sluggish form that dogged them for most of last week.
Alas, they quickly rallied, capping one of thier most signature wins early on this season with a first signature moment from their superstar signing.
“Kyle having this huge moment for him and us,” Freeman said with a smile. “Hopefully he can set free and be King Tuck.”
What it means
That, once again, the Dodgers are never out of a game.
Between the second and sixth innings, the team had mustered just one hit. In that time, Yamamoto stumbled in a five-inning, four-run (three-earned) outing while lacking his typical stuff or command.
However, their superstar lineup means that, as long as they’re within striking distance, they’re always capable of mounting a comeback.
That’s what happened in the ninth, with key walks and big swings giving the team its second walk-off win of the year.
Who’s hot
Hernández is not known for drawing walks. But improved plate discipline has helped him not only earn a string of free bases lately, but also snap out of what had been a couple-week-long slump.
Hernández started his night Monday with a key hit, driving in the game’s first two runs with his opposite-field single in the first inning. After that, he walked twice, marking only the second time this season he has done so.
Following a 14-game stretch from April 7-24 in which he batted .154, Hernández is now 3-for-8 the last three days with four walks and four RBIs, raising his season average to .245.
Who’s not
At the very least, Smith was back in the lineup Monday after missing a couple games with back tightness.
However, he continued a recent slump by not only going hitless in five at-bats, but twice leaving the bases loaded in the seventh (when he broke his bat on an inning-ending grounder) and the ninth (when he struck in the at-bat before Tucker’s walk-off).
That left Smith in a 1-for-18 rut in his last five games, with a three-run homer last Friday representing his only reprieve. His batting average is down to .250 and his OPS is down to .688. Among the club’s regulars, only Tucker has a lower mark in that latter category.
Up next
Ohtani (2-0, 0.38 ERA) will take the mound Tuesday opposite Marlins right-hander Janson Junk (1-2, 3.67 ERA). However, Roberts said Ohtani would only pitch in the game, and not also serve as designated hitter. That is partially because Ohtani is pitching on just five days’ rest for the first time this year, and partially because Wednesday’s series finale the following day is an afternoon start. It marks the second time in his last three pitching starts he will not hit, as well.
