It was one of those things that when it happened, everyone who was there in person (or watching on television) said: “You’ll never see anything like that happen again.”

The date was September 18, 2006. The Dodgers were hosting the San Diego Padres in front of a Dodger Stadium crowd of 55,831.

Down 9-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Dodgers left fielder Marlon Anderson, second baseman Jeff Kent, right fielder J.D. Drew, and catcher Russell Martin hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs to tie the game 9-9. And in the bottom of the 10th, first baseman Nomar Garciaparra hit a two-run walk-off home run to give the Dodgers one of the greatest come-from-behind wins in MLB history. The talk around Los Angeles – and the entire baseball world – of what will forever be known as ‘The 4+1 game’ was, as noted, “You’ll never see anything like that happen again.”

It happened again.

…by the same team against the same team.

On Wednesday night, September 29, 2021, the Dodgers were hosting the San Diego Padres in front of a Dodger Stadium crowd of 45,366 (although a good many had already left), with their team down 9-6 heading into the bottom of the eighth. Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy led off the inning with a solo home run to center field, his team-leading 36th of the season. This was followed immediately by a home run to right-center field by left fielder AJ Pollock, his second of the game. After a flyout by third baseman Chris Taylor and in his first game back after fracturing a rib, Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger, who had entered the game in the top of the sixth inning as a replacement for Gavin Lux, who injured himself running into the wall, homered to right. Pinch-hitter Justin Turner then doubled to center, and after a deep flyout to left by right fielder Mookie Betts (who had homered the inning before) for the second out of the inning, Dodgers shortstop and 2020 World Series MVP Corey Seager hit a two-run home run to right to give the Dodgers an improbable – if not impossible – 11-9 lead and the eventual winning score.

“That was the craziest inning, maybe the craziest I’ve been a part of,” Bellinger told reporters after the game.

“That’s a huge morale win for us,” added Seager postgame. “We’re still trying to accomplish a goal, and we’re still fighting for that. To be able to show that grit and that drive and that will to come back and win that game, that’s huge for us moving forward.”

Worthy of note, the right fielder and leadoff batter for the Padres in that historic 4+1 game on September 18, 2006 was none other than current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

“It certainly reminded me of that night … it certainly had feelings of that,” Roberts said, with a bit of a sheepish grin on his face. “And to be in this dugout, much better feeling than being in the visiting dugout, but yeah, same two opponents, a lot of the same vibe. I remember being out there.”

Truth is often stranger – and better – than fiction.

Play Ball!

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