Narrative Statements
In a game filled with dramatic swings, the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off a thrilling comeback to secure an 11-9 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night. Jason Heyward delivered a clutch pinch-hit grand slam, and Teoscar Hernandez added a three-run homer, all in a remarkable seven-run ninth inning.
The Dodgers' stunning rally ended a streak of 1,137 consecutive losses when trailing by five or more runs in the ninth inning or later. This sequence dated back to 1957 and was the second-longest active losing streak in such scenarios, with only the Seattle Mariners having a lengthier streak of 1,234 losses. With this win, the Dodgers improved their all-time record to 6-2,619 when trailing by five or more runs in the ninth inning or later. Furthermore, their seven runs were the most they've scored in a ninth inning since their 2004 game against the San Francisco Giants.
Key Moments
Heyward's fourth career grand slam came off Colorado reliever Tyler Kinley and followed walks to Andy Pages and Miguel Vargas and a single by Miguel Rojas. Heyward's fourth homer of the season hit the right-field foul pole, igniting the Dodgers' late rally. The Dodgers were down 7-2 in the fourth inning before this dramatic turnaround.
The excitement continued with Shohei Ohtani, who earlier in the game hit a mammoth 476-foot homer in the fifth inning. Ohtani also singled off pitcher Victor Vodnik (1-1) before Will Smith struck out looking. Freddie Freeman was intentionally walked, marking his sixth walk in the last two games. Hernandez then delivered the decisive blow. Initially, Hernandez took a half-swing at a 1-2 fastball, but first base umpire Lance Barksdale ruled he did not commit to the swing. Colorado manager Bud Black argued the call and was subsequently ejected from the game.
Hernandez's 18th home run of the season made it 11-9, setting the stage for the Dodgers' victory. This was the first time in their 140-year history that the Dodgers hit both a grand slam and a three-run homer in the ninth inning.
Reactions and Post-game Comments
As Hernandez's ball cleared the wall, tension mounted. Colorado right fielder Jake Cave stepped toward Barksdale, yelling in frustration. Rockies second baseman Alan Trejo intervened, stepping between Cave and Barksdale after the inning ended. Reliever Evan Phillips ensured the Dodgers' victory by retiring the only batter he faced, Hunter Goodman, with a runner on second, recording his 11th save in as many chances. Cave had to be restrained by bench coach Mike Redmond as he attempted to reach Barksdale after the game ended.
Elehuris Montero and Brenton Doyle homered for the Rockies, who scored four runs in the first inning and held five-run leads twice during the game. Doyle added three singles for his first career four-hit game, scored twice, and made a diving catch of Ohtani's line drive to right-center field with runners on first and second and two outs in the seventh inning, temporarily preserving an 8-4 lead for Colorado.
Dodgers starter Walker Buehler struggled, giving up eight hits and seven runs in four innings. It was the first time the 29-year-old right-hander allowed more than three earned runs since returning to the rotation on May 6 after missing the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery. Buehler struck out two and walked one.
Andy Pages also homered for the Dodgers, who have now won four of their last five games and boast a 73-32 record against Colorado since 2018. The Rockies, on the other hand, have lost five of their last six games.
Reliever Michael Petersen (1-0) worked two innings and struck out two in his major league debut. Reflecting on his debut, Petersen said, "It was crazy. You can't feel anything. It's like your first date; you are tripping over stuff. But awesome."
Quotes
"It was quality at-bats up and down the lineup," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts remarked. "Jason was ready when called upon. Teo keeps coming up with big hits. That inning certainly showed the fight and the compete."
Jason Heyward commented on his grand slam, "I wasn't sure if it was going to stay fair or not. It's Colorado, so maybe that helped it straighten out a little bit. I was like, 'Come on, squeak in, squeak in.' I honestly feel like we got rewarded for our process in the ninth."
Teoscar Hernandez added, "It was close. You can call it either way, and it will be fine. When Jason hit the grand slam, and turning the lineup over to Ohtani, you know something was going to happen. I just wanted to get a good pitch to hit to tie the game. I put a little extra, and it went over the fence. I knew it as soon as I hit. It felt great, especially because it put the team ahead."
Jake Cave shared his frustration regarding the controversial call, "When I'm running in (before the last of the ninth), he looked me right in the face and goes, 'Cave, it's not even close.' Everybody in the world could see it was at least close. And he did swing. It's a big game. It's one of the best teams in baseball, and we're battling with them. That game was won on that swing. That's a swing-and-miss, the game's won, and we beat the Los Angeles Dodgers."