In the grand scheme of things, Friday’s game between the NL West first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and the NL West fifth-place Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field was basically a meaningless game.
However, in that same grand scheme of things, you will have a very difficult time convincing anyone of its meaninglessness. Also, if you missed it, you missed one of the most exciting games in recent memory, bar none.
Although the box score will forever show that the Dodgers beat the D-backs by a final score of 14-11, it’s how they got their final six runs in the top of the ninth that made this game an instant “Remember that time that…” classic.
As only he can do, extremely popular Dodgers utility infielder Kiké Hernández got Dodgers fans fired up with his monster 438-foot second inning solo home run that bounced off the facade in very deep left field to pull the Dodgers to within one of Arizona at 3-2.
As for that epic top of the ninth, the Dodgers entered it trailing the Snakes 11-8 … but not for long. Dodgers future Hall of Fame first baseman Freddie Freeman led off the frame with a sharp infield single to third. This was followed by a double to left by suddenly blazing hot Dodgers right fielder Andy Pages scoring Freeman to cut the lead to 11-9. This was followed by a double to left by the aforementioned (and equally red-hot) Kiké, scoring Pages to make it 11-10. This was followed by a single to right by Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy scoring Hernández to tie the game 11-11.
With one out, Dodgers left fielder Michael Conforto was hit by a pitch from D-backs right-hander Kevin Ginkel to move Dodgers second baseman Hyeseong Kim over to to second. This was followed by Shohei Ohtani‘s 12th home run of the season, a 426-foot monster three-run shot to right-center field to give the Dodgers the 14-11 lead and eventual final score.
(SportsNet LA)
“It’s not the kind of game we always play, but everybody really stayed behind, stayed as a team, grinded, and I know I contributed tonight, but it was really the process getting there that mattered,” Ohtani told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame through interpreter Will Ireton. “Just really a great inning. It’s something that I think that we want to be able to show to other teams that we’re capable of doing,” he added.
Show them they did.
Play Ball!
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