On August 28, 2006, the Dodgers did something that ranks right up there as among the rarest of feats in Major League Baseball, perhaps second only to pitching a perfect game. On that warm August evening in front of a Dodger Stadium crowd of 44,176, Grady Little‘s Dodgers had zero strikeouts in their combined 39 plate appearances in their 6-5 win over The Big Red Machine. What makes this feat all the more remarkable is that this was before there was a designated hitter in the National League, meaning that pitchers Brad Penny and Elmer Dessens had to bat for themselves.

Lo and behold, in Monday night’s 8-4 Dodgers win over their division rival Arizona Diamondbacks in front of a Chase Field crowd of 36,985, Dave Roberts‘ Dodgers had zero strikeouts in their combined 34 plate appearances, to pull off this rare feat for only the second time in 17+ seasons.

In doing so, the Dodgers became the first Major League offense with no strikeouts in a game this season.

“Just overall a great offensive performance,” Roberts summarized postgame.

As for those eight Dodgers runs, blazing hot newcomer Andy Pages drove in three of them in his 2-for-4 night that included an RBI sac fly to center field in the top of the second and a two-run double to left in the top of the fifth.

Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández also had a two-run double in that fruitful four-run fifth inning.

And then there’s Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who picked up his third home run of the season, a 407-foot solo shot to (near) straightaway center in the top of the sixth, to make it 7-4 Dodgers.

Well done, boys!

Play Ball!

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