It was another one of those “Remember the time…” games that Dodgers fans will be talking about for years to come. In this case, it will be “Remember the time the Dodgers led off that game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with back-to-back-to-back home runs?”
Those three-back-jacks came courtesy of Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right fielder Mookie Betts, and first baseman Freddie Freeman to lead off Saturday night’s game against the D-backs to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead before the seats were even warm at Chase Field.
(SportsNet LA)
(SportsNet LA)
(SportsNet LA)
This from the Dodgers:
But just as they did the night before, the D-backs got right back in the game, scoring four in the bottom of the first. The Dodgers then tied it at 4-4 in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly to center by Ohtani, and added another on a single to center by Freeman to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead … but not for long.
D-backs left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered to left-center field in the bottom of the third to tie it at 5-5, which the Dodger broke in the top of the fifth on a RBI single to right by Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, to make it 6-5 good guys … but not for long.
Arizona tied it again at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh on a sac fly to right by always-pesky D-backs right fielder Corbin Carroll, to make the many Dodger fans among the 50,041 on hand at Chase Field (and millions more watching and listening at home) uncomfortably uncomfortable … but not for long.
With no outs in the top of the ninth and pinch-runner Chris Taylor on second and third baseman Gavin Lux on first, Dodgers pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to third and second … but not for long.
After Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas lined out to second for the second out of the inning, Dodgers newcomer Tommy Edman, appearing in only his 11th game in Dodger Blue and pinch-hitting for center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, smoked a 1-2 splitter from D-backs right-hander Justin Martinez into right-center field, easily scoring Taylor and Lux for his second and third RBIs with his new team, to give the Dodgers an 8-6 lead and final score.
(SportsNet LA)
“That guy’s nasty. I was just trying to put something in play to be honest,” Edman told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame of the 103-mph-throwing Martinez. “Our guys did a good job early getting on base and I was just trying to give us a chance.
“It was fun, really fun. Ive seen these guys have some huge hits in just the couple weeks I’ve been here, you know, a lot of big home runs, so I’m just happy to be part of it,” the 29-year-old Pontiac, MI native and sixth-round draft pick in 2016 by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Stanford answered, when asked what his brief time with the NL West first place Dodgers has been like.
“He’s a baseball player, high acumen, high IQ, there’s bat-to-ball, doesn’t punch (strikeout) much, and he’s a switch-hitter,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Edman postgame. “And so, you just figure that even with Martinez with stuff like that, he’s gonna give himself a chance to put the ball in play, and got a split(ter), kind of low, bottom of the zone, was able to get it out there for a knock and a big hit.”
A game-winning big hit.
Play Ball!
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