3rd Inning Comeback and Shohei's Gritty At-Bat Had Me Buzzing
Shohei went hitless today, but his 8-pitch walk in the 3rd was gutsy as heck. Betts and Freeland going back-to-back with homers in the 3rd to flip the game — absolute goosebumps. Tucker came through in the clutch at the end. What a game, man.
Highlights
- Mookie Betts blasts a 3-run homer to flip a 0-2 deficit into a 4-2 lead
- Shohei Ohtani battles through an 8-pitch at-bat for a gutsy walk in the 3rd
- Kyle Tucker's clutch RBI single in the 8th seals the 5-4 win
Early Innings Had My Heart Racing
Dude, today's game was SO stressful.
1st inning, Shohei gets four straight fastballs to fall behind, then goes down looking on a slider. That was rough... 97 mph heaters coming in hot and then the breaking ball to finish — I mean, in the first at-bat with that kind of sequence, it's just tough. But hey, shake it off, shake it off!
Then Alek Thomas doubles in the 2nd to put them up, and Marte crushes a solo shot in the 3rd to make it 0-2. Come on man, not this again... I was sipping my beer and grumbling to myself.
The 3rd Inning Comeback Was Absolutely INSANE
But then, oh man, HERE WE GO.
First Freeland hits a homer to cut it to one, and then — Mookie Betts launches a 3-run bomb. HECK YEAH!! I screamed at my TV. 0-2 to 4-2 just like that?! That's incredible, man. Mookie is just built different. That one swing completely flipped the energy in the stadium.
And Shohei's at-bat in the 3rd? He battled for 8 pitches and worked a walk — that's lowkey huge. Full count, fouled off two sliders, then laid off to take the walk. Coming off that strikeout and making that kind of adjustment? That's why you can trust this guy. No hit, but at-bats like that are what greatness looks like.
Middle Innings and Shohei's Frustrating At-Bats
Thomas got us again with another double in the 4th to tie it 4-4. Ugh, that dude was a thorn in our side all night.
Shohei's 5th inning at-bat — chased a slider and hit a weak grounder. Exit velo 82 km/h... yeah, the pitcher just got him on that one. Then in the 8th with the game tied and a runner on 2nd — this was the spot where you wanted a big hit — but Ginkle's fastball jammed him and he pounded it into the ground at -26° launch angle. Exit velo 87.3 mph but he just beat it into the dirt. Tough one, but hey, days like this happen. Get 'em tomorrow, Shohei!
Tucker Finishes It Off!
Bottom of the 8th, tied 4-4, and then — Kyle Tucker rips an RBI single to make it 5-4! Dude, Tucker is the MAN!! Coming through in the clutch when it matters most, you absolutely love to see it.
Shohei finished 0-for-3 with a walk and no hits today, but the team won so that's all that matters! 68 plate appearances in this battle of a game, and the Dodgers came out on top. Cheers to that. Tomorrow I'm counting on a Shohei bomb. Good night, everybody!