Shohei Ohtani hit a two-run home run to move one off the major league lead and the Dodgers rallied for a 6-4 victory Friday over the Colorado Rockies in the opener of Los Angeles’ final homestand of the regular season.
Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernandez also hit home runs for the Dodgers. Ohtani remained hot one day after finishing with six hits, including three home runs, and 10 RBIs to become the first major league player to reach 50 homers and 50 steals in a season.
Ohtani’s 52nd home run of the season Friday moved him one behind the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the big-league lead.
One day after clinching a playoff spot, Los Angeles (92-62) maintained its four-game lead over the second-place San Diego Padres in the National League West.
Charlie Blackmon, Sam Hilliard and Michael Toglia each hit home runs for the Rockies (59-95), who entered with five wins in their previous seven games. Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland (5-8) gave up four runs on seven hits with no walks and two strikeouts over six innings.
The Rockies loaded the bases against Dodgers right-hander Joe Kelly with nobody out in the second inning but scored just one run on Hunter Goodman’s groundout. Colorado made it 2-0 in the fifth on Blackmon’s home run, his 10th.
The Dodgers answered in the bottom of the fifth on Pages’ leadoff home run, his 11th. Max Muncy doubled with one out and Ohtani hit a two-out home run to center to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.
Colorado tied it in the sixth on Hilliard’s ninth blast of the season before the Dodgers regained the lead again in the bottom of the inning on Hernandez’s 30th. It is Hernandez’s second season with at least 30 homers.
The Dodgers pushed their advantage to 6-3 in the seventh inning. Mookie Betts hit a sacrifice fly and Hernandez singled home Ohtani, who had reached base on an infield single before stealing his 52nd base of the year.
Toglia hit a home run in the ninth inning for the Rockies, his 25th.
Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia (4-4) gave up Hilliard’s home run while still earning the win. Michael Kopech served up Toglia’s home run in the ninth yet registered his 14th save.
–Field Level Media
