Chris Taylor delivers Dodgers to walk-off win over Giants
As soon as Dodgers pitcher Lance Lynn moved every ounce of his 6-foot, 250-pound body in the right direction in the third inning Sunday 3-210-inning walk-off win over the San Francisco Giantsthe sturdy right-hander was unstoppable.
The Giants, trailing 2-0 at the time, had the bases loaded with two outs when Thairo Estrada, a No. 5 hitter with 13 homers and 48 RBIs this season, inexplicably tried to score and his An attempt to score sent air flying toward third base.
It took a moment for the shock to wear off and Lynn realized that third baseman Max Muncy was playing too deep to make the play. Lynn then jumped off the mound and made a nice running catch near the line to end the inning. His momentum practically carried him into a laughing dugout at third base.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw did an in-game interview with ESPN during the game. Announcer Karl Ravech marveled: “Pitchers are athletes, man.”
“I don’t know,” Kershaw said, “but that was sick.”
The Dodgers clinched their 10th National League West title in 11 years more than a week ago and their first playoff game is still nearly two weeks away. The Dodgers enjoyed a day of fun on Sunday in front of 48,315 fans at Chavez Ravine.
Chris Taylor, who entered the game at shortstop in the ninth inning, sent fans home happy when he delivered an RBI single to right-center field off San Francisco closer Camilo Doval and scored automatic runner Amed Rosario with the winning run at the bottom of the field the 10th
Dodgers closer Evan Phillips preserved the 2-2 tie by escaping a one-out blocker in the second and third early in the ninth, getting Tyler Fitzgerald to fly out to shallow left field and after hitting LaMonte Wade Jr. had intentionally walked to load the bases and hit Mitch Haniger with an 85 mph sweeper.
The Giants loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 10th after Dodgers centerfielder Kiké Hernández lost Estrada’s routine fly ball at dusk and the ball fell for a single.
Pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey followed with a rocket that flew from pitcher Shelby Miller to Taylor, who jumped behind second base, stepped on the bag and darted to first base for an inning-ending double play complete.
Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas was in front of the microphone for the second inning and when he told the ESPN team about a bat he borrowed from Hernández after the utility player was traded from Boston on July 25 , Estrada ripped a one-hopper up the middle.
“Sorry, guys,” Rojas said as he caught the ball and threw it to first base for the out, “I have to make this play real quick.”
James Outman (right) celebrates with designated hitter JD Martinez after hitting a home run in the second inning against the Giants.
(Ashley Landis/Associated Press)
Second baseman Mookie Betts followed Rojas’ multitasking effort with a multiple-web gem in the fifth inning, moving behind the second-base bag to stop a JD Davis grounder with his backhand and following it with his swing to be worn on the left. Center field and made a strong one-hop throw to first for the out.
Joc Pederson followed with a hard grounder that appeared to be allowed to right field before Betts made a spectacular diving stop to his left and made a throw from his knees across his body to first base for the final out of the inning.
Right fielder Jason Heyward added to the defensive highlights in the top of the eighth when he rushed in and made a sliding catch off Davis’ liner on the first out.
The inning ended with Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol casually fielding Estrada’s comebacker, flipping the ball from his glove to his pitching hand and firing a fastball to first to extend his scoreless streak to 23 innings in 22 appearances.
The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the second when JD Martinez hit a double to left-center field and James Outman hit a two-run home run, his 22nd of the season, to right field.
The Giants tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth when Fitzgerald fumbled a single to shallow center field and Wade hit a two-run home run to right center, Lynn’s major league-leading 43rd home run of the season season allowed.
But that was the only blemish on Lynn’s third straight solid start, giving up two runs and five hits in six innings, with six strikeouts and three walks.
Lynn was impressed with 15 earned runs and 14 hits, including three home runs, over 8⅔ innings in losses to Atlanta on August 31 and at Miami on September 6. But in three starts since then, Lynn has allowed seven earned runs and 16 hits in 18 innings for a 3.50 ERA.
Short jumps
The Dodgers completed the home portion of their schedule with a major league-leading attendance of 3,837,079, marking the second consecutive season and fifth in club history (2007, 2018, 2019, 2022) in which the team more than attracted 3.8 million fans. … Ryan Pepiot will pitch an opener and bulk innings in the first game of Tuesday’s split doubleheader at Colorado, and Bobby Miller will open the nightcap.
