Sep 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after hitting an RBI double in the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.
15:37 JST, September 26, 2024
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani drove in the game-tying run before stealing his 56th base of the season in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Wednesday night to come within a win of securing the NL West.
The Dodgers extended their lead over the second-place Padres to three games with four to play, cutting their magic number to two. Los Angeles needs a win in the final game of the series on Thursday to earn its 11th division title in 12 years. The Dodgers already have a spot in the postseason locked up.
The Padres’ five-game winning streak ended one night after they celebrated their playoff berth with a game-tying triple play on the field of their biggest rival.
Ohtani’s two-strike, two-out single to center by Adrián Morejón scored Will Smith, who got a leadoff walk, to make it 4-3. Ohtani stole second, but Mookie Betts followed with a popup to end the inning. Betts popped up to every infield position.
With two outs in the ninth inning, Michael Kopech walked Jake Cronenworth to bring in the tying run. Brandon Lockridge ran in front of Cronenworth and stole second. Donovan Solano struck out on a 101 mph fastball from Kopech to end the game and bring the fans to their feet to cheer. Kopech earned his 15th save.
Alex Vesia (5-4) earned the win with one hitless inning as a reliever.
Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, striking out Fernando Tatis Jr. on a flyout and striking out Jurickson Profar and Manny Machado on called third strikes.
A 448-foot shot by Tatis — the longest by a Padres player this season — tied the score at 3-3 with two outs in the fifth inning. It was his seventh home run in his last 13 games.
The Dodgers scored the tying and go-ahead runs with two outs in the fourth. Gavin Lux had an RBI single and Ohtani’s double drove into the Padres bullpen gate in right as the sellout crowd of 52,310 chanted “MVP! MVP!”
Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada (6-3) suffered the loss.
Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI single and Cronenworth followed with an RBI groundout to second for a 2-1 lead in the second inning.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts as he hits a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Will Smith scored.
Teoscar Hernández’s two-strike, two-out RBI single scored Ohtani, who then walked and advanced to second base on a wild pitch by Padres starter Dylan Cease in the first inning.
Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty gave up three runs and four hits in five innings. The right-handed pitcher struck out five and walked three.
Cease allowed three runs and five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked three.
