The Los Angeles Dodgers snatched their 99th victory of the regular season Saturday at Oracle Park, pulling off another improbable win when it looked like things were grinding to a halt. Kiké Hernández stepped up in the ninth inning, with the score deadlocked at 3-3 against the San Francisco Giants, and turned a frustrating night on its head with one massive swing of the bat.
From Strikeout to Soaring Shot: Hernández’s Redemption
This whole season, the Dodgers have been finding ways to win games they probably had no business losing, and this was a classic. Before Hernández’s heroics, the Dodgers’ offense had gone completely silent, failing to register a single hit over the previous four innings. Not just that, earlier in the game, Hernández himself had left an opportunity hanging, striking out with the bases loaded. Talk about a tough night turning around! But when the Giants made a crucial mistake in the ninth inning, leaving a cutter right over the heart of the plate, Hernández made them pay dearly. He absolutely annihilated that pitch, sending it soaring an incredible 429 feet into the San Francisco night. That blast gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead, and then Tanner Scott slammed the door shut in the bottom half of the inning for his 25th save, sealing the deal. This win marks their 17th victory in their last 22 games, pushing them to an astounding 99-62 record. One more win and they hit triple digits.
Betts Kicks It Off, Snell Deals, Then the Offense Disappears
The Dodgers actually got their offense going early on Saturday. Mookie Betts started the scoring in the third inning with his 23rd home run of the season, putting them up 1-0. Betts ended up 1-for-5 on the night, with that long ball being his only hit. The Giants quickly responded, but the Dodgers regained the lead in the fourth when Miguel Rojas delivered an RBI single, making it 2-1. Tommy Edman followed that up with another RBI single, extending the lead. Then, it was like the offense hit a brick wall. For a staggering 12 consecutive Dodgers batters, nobody could find a hit, which made Hernández’s ninth-inning bomb all the more critical. On the pitching side, Blake Snell made his final regular season start, getting himself ready for the postseason grind. The left-hander worked four innings, giving up five hits and one earned run, walking nobody, and striking out three. He tossed 77 pitches, 50 of them for strikes, finishing the regular season with a stellar 1.90 ERA across nine starts.
The Dodgers now have a chance to hit that coveted 100-win mark tomorrow in their regular-season finale. After a night like this, where Hernández punished a mistake when the moment demanded it, you know they’ll be coming out swinging for that century mark.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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