You could not script this. These are the things that movies are made of. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are a all-time great trio to set the tone atop your lineup, as the Los Angeles Dodgers put on display Saturday.
The former MVPs kicked off an important division game in the NL West against the Arizona Diamondbacks with back-to-back-to-back homers off starting pitcher Merrill Kelly before he even had a chance to get warm on the mound. Ohtani got it started with his NL-best 44th home run of the season, then Betts and Freeman inflicted even more pain. All three long balls were measured an incredible 400 feet or longer.
The whole thing went down quick, fast and in a hurry, like an earthquake, in the span of four pitches.
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The Dodgers later reported it was the first time in their legendary franchise history that the team had opened a game with three consecutive home runs.
“We got good players,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
That was only one major aspect of a chaotic beginning to a game between the first- and second-place teams in the National League West. After the Dodgers went down without another run, Diamondbacks center fielder Corbin Carroll hit an inside-the-park homer with a fly ball just past the out-stretched arms of the Dodgers’ Kevin Kiermaier.
The D-Backs scored three more runs that inning to take the lead, but the Dodgers responded immediately with an Ohtani sacrifice fly and Freeman RBI single to jump ahead 5-4 in the top of the second inning. Arizona outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. then squared the game with a solo homer in the third inning.
The Dodgers went on to win 8-6, with Tommy Edman playing the role of hero hitting a two-run single in the top of the ninth inning. The win improves the Dodgers’ division lead to six games over both the Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, with only 25 left in the season.
“There was a lot of excitement in this building,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It was a good game. We fought as hard as we could, we just came up a little short.”
Ohtani’s homer is significant in particular as he is attempting to post a never before seen 50-home run, 50-stolen base campaign. The two-time MVP has already made history in this series with his 43rd homer and steal on Friday, breaking a tie with Alex Rodriguez for the most of each stat in a single season.
With a full month to go in the regular season, Ohtani has plenty of runway to work with to create a season to remember.
