Tuesday’s 6-5 Dodgers ninth-inning walk-off win over the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks in front of a sold out Dodger Stadium to kickoff a six-game homestand ranks right up there as among the most exciting games of the 2024 regular season.

Not only did the 52,931 on hand at the Ravine (at least those who didn’t leave when the D-backs took a 5-4 lead in the top half of the ninth) witness Dodgers international superstar designated hitter and soon-to-be 2024 All-Star Shohei Ohtani slug his team and National League-leading 27th home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning, they also witnessed Dodgers smoking hot soon-to-be 2024 All-Star left fielder Teoscar Hernández hit a game-winning single to left for his third run batted in of the night.

That thrilling bottom of the ninth began with with two very quick outs – a called third strike to Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux and a swinging strikeout by Ohtani, hence that mass exodus by those wanting to get an early jump on traffic.

And then it happened.

On the very first pitch from D-backs right-hander Paul Sewald (who had just entered the game) to Dodgers catcher Will Smith, the Dodgers backstop roped it to left field for a two-out double.

This was immediately followed by a double to right by Dodgers (wait for it…) soon-to-be 2024 All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, his team-leading 25th of the season, scoring Smith to tie the game at 5-5, bringing Hernández to the plate with the winning run in scoring position.

On Sewald’s second pitch to Hernández, a 91.8 MPH four-seam fastball right down the middle, Teoscar ripped to left, with Freeman running on contact and scoring that game-winning run.

“Today I was trying to get ready, not to think about anything, and just get a good pitch to hit and put it in play,” Hernández told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame. “It’s been great, especially here at home,” Hernández answered, when Watson asked him how much fun is it to be part of this group? “You know, the fans love this and I love it, too. So, every situation, I’m gonna be on it, I’m gonna be focused, I’m gonna try to do my job,” he added.

A job well done.

As for that Ohtani guy, his monster seventh-inning two-run home run to right-center field landed 433 feet into the Right Field Pavilion, giving the Dodgers a then 4-3 lead.

“Shohei is very storybook. It seems like whenever there’s anticipation for something to happen, it happens. Guys like that are like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame of the future Hall of Famer and our generation’s Babe Ruth.

With the win and earlier 7-0 shutout loss by the NL West second-place San Diego Padres to the AL West third-place Texas Rangers, the Dodgers lead the division by 8.5 games.

Welcome home, boys!

Play Ball!

  *  *  *  *  *  *