Rally completes series sweep
absurd enough, the Dodgers scored five more runs in the eighth — two on wild pitches, two on Bellinger’s National League-leading 24th homer (which led to his first curtain call), and one on Jansen’s first career double and RBI, a drive to the center-field wall off Colorado closer Greg Holland.
The grueling 4-hour 19minute marathon, in which the Dodgers overcame a 5-0 third-inning deficit, was the longest nine-inning game in the history of Dodger Stadium, which opened in 1962.
The clubs combined for eight wild pitches, the most in a major league game since 2013. The Dodgers were the first team since 1920 to score five runs on wild pitches.
“That was a long, crazy game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “To go through all the things we did, to be [down by five], for us to hang in there is a credit to our guys. We talk about playing every pitch, and that’s what we did.”
The Dodgers trailed 5-0 before Enrique Hernandez and Bellinger smashed tworun homers to right-center field in the third, giving the Dodgers home runs in 17 straight games, the secondlongest streak in club history and seven shy of the franchise record of 24 straight games, set in 1953.
Colorado took a 6-4 lead in the fifth on Ian Desmond’s RBI single but was stifled by two stellar Dodgers defensive plays, Chris Taylor’s throw from left field to cut down Alexi Amarista at the plate to end the sixth and Bellinger’s diving catch in right-center with two on to end the seventh.
Then came the wacky bottom of the seventh.
Rockies left-hander Jake McGee, who struck out the side in the sixth, struck out Hernandez to open the inning. Justin Turner singled to left, and Bellinger flied to center for the second out. Logan Forsythe doubled to left, Turner taking third.
Rockies manager Bud Black summoned Ottavino to face Austin Barnes, who took a borderline full-count pitch that was called outside for ball four, loading the bases.
Ottavino’s first pitch to Grandal, a 95-mph, downand-in fastball, skipped by catcher Tony Wolters, allowing Turner to score to make it 6-5. The other two runners advanced on the wild pitch.
Ottavino’s 2-and-2 pitch to Grandal, a 96-mph downand-in fastball, bounced past Wolters, who was unable to locate the ball immediately. Forsythe scored easily from third. Barnes, who was on second, read the play perfectly and ran aggressively, never slowing around third, and he was beyond the bag by the time Wolters even located the ball. Barnes slid into the plate without a throw, giving the Dodgers a 7-6 lead. Grandal then struck out to end the inning.
“We have a lot of dynamic players, guys you can play anywhere, who can run the bases and compete. Austin fits that bill,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers blew the game open in the eighth, and Jansen, despite issuing his first walk in 322⁄3 innings this season, threw a scoreless ninth to finish off his 17th save, the second five-out save of his career, not counting the postseason.
Jansen had struck out 51 of the first 115 batters he faced, a major league record for most strikeouts to open a season without a walk.
“You know that eventually you’re gonna walk someone,” said Jansen, whose ERA is 0.83. “It was a great ride, a blessing to make history, but at the end of the day, it’s about winning.”