Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — The Dodgers put together a late rally to pull off an exciting 8–4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. A four-run eighth inning proved to be the difference, turning a tense game into a comfortable Los Angeles victory. The key moments in the pivotal frame: home runs by the two Hernandez boys–a solo shot by Teo to give them the lead and a three-run job by Kike to put the game on ice.
The game got off to a rocky start for the Dodgers when Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz led off with a solo home run against Roki Sasaki, giving the Pirates an early 1–0 lead. However, the Dodgers quickly answered in the bottom of the first. Shohei Ohtani ripped a leadoff double, and Teoscar Hernández followed with an RBI double to tie the game. Hernández later scored on a throwing error by Adam Frazier, giving the Dodgers a 2–1 advantage.
The Pirates battled back in the fifth inning. After an error and a pair of sharp hits, Cruz came through again, delivering a two-run single to put Pittsburgh ahead 3–2. The Dodgers tied it up in the bottom half of the inning when Ohtani tripled and scored on Freddie Freeman’s RBI single.
Pittsburgh took a 4–3 lead in the seventh when Bryan Reynolds grounded into a fielder’s choice that plated Tommy Pham. But once again, the Dodgers answered immediately. In the bottom of the seventh, Ohtani doubled home Andy Pages to even the score at 4–4.
The pivotal eighth inning started with a bang. Facing Colin Holderman, Teoscar Hernández launched a go-ahead solo home run, his seventh of the season, to make it 5–4 Dodgers. After a double by Tommy Edman and a walk by Will Smith, Enrique Hernández delivered the crushing blow — a three-run homer to left-center field off Joey Wentz. That blast extended the Dodgers’ lead to 8–4 and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Kirby Yates, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning, was credited with the win, improving to 2–1. Tanner Scott closed things out in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts to seal the victory.
Ohtani starred for Los Angeles at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, a triple, and an RBI. Andy Pages also had a big night, collecting three hits and stealing a base. Teoscar Hernández and Enrique Hernández combined for five RBIs, while Freeman added a pair of hits and a key RBI.
On the mound, Sasaki battled through 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out four. The Dodgers bullpen locked things down from there, allowing just one more run the rest of the way.
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 17–10 on the season and kept pace near the top of the NL West standings. The Pirates fell to 11–17 and remain in fifth place in the NL Central.
The two teams conclude their series tomorrow at Dodger Stadium, 1 pm game time.
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