Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani celebrates a two-run home run by teammate Freddie Freeman against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game on Friday in Phoenix.
15:40 JST, August 31, 2024
Will Smith hit a three-run homer, Freddie Freeman homered for two and Shohei Ohtani hit a solo homer to help the Los Angeles Dodgers record a wild 10-9 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night in Phoenix.
Freeman finished with three RBIs as Los Angeles won the opener of a four-game series between National League West rivals. The Dodgers have won three straight and nine of 11 and lead the Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres by five games in the division race.
Ohtani’s blast was his 43rd of the season. He also stole his 43rd base as he attempts to become the first 50-50 man in Major League history.
Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw was forced out of the game in the second inning because of soreness in his left big toe. Kershaw allowed three runs, three hits and one walk and made three outs. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw is nursing a bone spur in his toe and that the club is preparing for a possible move to the injured list.
Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez homered for the Diamondbacks, who have lost three of their last four games. Arizona moved into a virtual tie with the Padres for the NL’s top wild-card spot.
Arizona made a comeback in the ninth inning against Dodgers eighth-inning pitcher Anthony Banda. Jake McCarthy hit a two-run single and Suarez followed with a two-run homer to left, his 21st of the season.
Banda then sent Carroll out with a foul pop and Luis Guillorme with a fly to the left to end the game.
Ryan Brasier (1-0) was credited with the win, pitching a scoreless fifth inning.
Los Angeles took the lead for good in the sixth. Max Muncy doubled off Dylan Floro (5-4), went to third on a groundout and scored on Joe Mantiply’s wild pitch for a 6-5 lead.
Two Dodgers reached on walks in the seventh inning before Smith hit a two-out, three-run home run to left-center field off Paul Sewald to make it 9-5. It was Smith’s 17th home run of the season.
Ohtani hit Sewald deep in the eighth inning with a home run to left-center field.
Arizona’s Zac Gallen allowed five runs and six hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
Ohtani led off the game with a double and Freeman hit a one-out home run to left-center field, Freeman’s 18th home run of the season.
Los Angeles led 5-2 before Carroll led off the second inning with a 427-foot blast just inside the right field foul pole on Kershaw’s final pitch, a 67 mph curveball. Carroll has 18 homers, including four in the past four games.
Arizona tied the score at 5-5 in the third inning on a hit by Joe Kelly and an RBI single by Jose Herrera.
