The Los Angeles Dodgers capped off a remarkable weekend at Dodger Stadium with a 6-3 walk-off win and sweep of the Colorado Rockies. Each of the victories were in walk-off fashion and the Dodgers finished 9-2 on their homestand to pull ahead in the National League West by 13 games.
After rookies Matt Beaty and Alex Verdugo made MLB history with their respective game-winning home runs in back-to-back games, Will Smith took center stage Sunday afternoon. The Dodgers went into the bottom of the seventh inning trailing 2-0.
They’d mustered all of three hits to that point but a Kiké Hernandez double put the tying runs in scoring position with one out. Chris Taylor pinch-hit for Austin Barnes, which prompted the Rockies to counter with Chad Bettis replacing Antonio Senzatela.
Taylor swatted the first pitch he saw deep into the pavilion in left field, giving the Dodgers their first lead. The home run traveled 425 feet, good for Taylor’s second-longest this season; the hit a 426-foot home run off San Francisco Giants starter Drew Pomeranz last week.
The excitement from Taylor’s go-ahead homer was just as quickly washed away in deflating fashion. Pedro Baez struck out Ryan McMahon and pinch-hitter Nolan Arenado after allowing a leadoff single in the eighth.
Tony Wolters then pulled a ball down the line but the relay of Cody Bellinger and Hernandez had the ball at home plate well ahead of Daniel Murphy. But he scored the tying run when the one-hopper skipped off Martin’s glove and got past him.
The tie remained until the bottom of the ninth inning when Matt Beaty led it off with a single and later advances into scoring position.
Martin was then intentionally walked with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, leading to Smith’s second career walk-off home run, with this one being of the pinch-hit variety.
The comeback salvaged what was the longest start for Kenta Maeda this season. He allowed the Rockies to take a lead in the first inning and extend it to 2-0 in the third but otherwise managed to pitch through traffic and keep the Dodgers in the game despite allowing seven hits to go along with two walks over seven innings.
There was an odd moment in the top of the ninth inning when a fan ran onto the field and briefly managed to hug Bellinger. She was promptly tackled by security and escorted out.
