LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers celebrated their first home game since clinching the NL West with a tight, back and forth battle for seven innings, then blew it open in the eighth with a barrage of home runs that turned a one run game into an 8-2 win over the Giants at Dodger Stadium. The crowd had plenty to celebrate even before the late fireworks, with the NL West banner still fresh off Thursday’s clincher in Cincinnati.
Betts Opens With a Long Ball
Mookie Betts set the tone before the Dodgers had even taken the field, leading off the bottom of the first with a solo homer to left center that put Los Angeles up 1-0. It wouldn’t be his last big swing of the night.
A Back and Forth Through Seven
San Francisco answered quickly. Jung Hoo Lee tied it with a solo homer in the second, and the Giants took their only lead of the game in the third on a run scoring single from Jonah Cox. Los Angeles tied it back up in the fifth when Teoscar Hernández singled home Josue De Paula, and took the lead for good in the sixth on a De Paula double that scored Kyle Tucker, making it 3-2.
Glasnow Battles Through Six
Tyler Glasnow wasn’t at his sharpest early, allowing both Giants runs before the fourth inning, but he settled in and finished with six innings of work, ten strikeouts and just three hits allowed. It was the kind of outing that kept the game within reach long enough for the offense to eventually take over.
Four Homers in the Eighth Blow It Open
The Dodgers turned a nervy one run lead into a comfortable win with one of the more explosive innings of the season. Max Muncy led off the eighth with a homer, and Kyle Tucker followed immediately with one of his own to make it 5-2.
After two quick outs, Josue De Paula walked, and Mookie Betts crushed a two run homer, his second of the game, before Will Smith capped it with a homer of his own two batters later. Four home runs in one inning turned a tense game into a blowout, and the Dodger Stadium crowd got to celebrate the division title in style. Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott handled the final two innings without much trouble to close it out.
Up Next
Tarik Skubal takes the mound Saturday against a Giants starter still to be announced. First pitch from Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. PST.