The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced past the National League Wild Card Series after defeating the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 on Wednesday. The Dodgers punched their ticket to the NL Division Series with an 8-4 victory over the Reds at Dodger Stadium. After the final out landed in Mookie Betts' glove and the team lined up for postgame handshakes, the Dodgers posed on the infield grass for a team photo wearing their new October Baseball shirts.
Philadelphia Phillies, here they come. The National League's most dangerous and determined team, here they are. Bryce Harper, good heavens. Kyle Schwarber, dear Lord. That deep rotation. That fiery closer. That nutty crowd! And, oh, that damn history.
Los Angeles Dodgers utility star Kiké Hernandez was forced to exit Tuesday's 10-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds early due to back tightness. Hernandez was 2-for-3 before being replaced in the bottom of the sixth inning by Alex Call. After the game, manager Dave Roberts confirmed the injury, but said Hernandez would be good to go for Wednesday's Game 2. "He's playing tomorrow," Roberts said. "He has some back tightness. Just trying to take care in this particular game, getting him ready for tomorrow and beyond. But he'll be in there tomorrow."
Despite facing the prospect of playing an extra round this October, the Dodgers generally managed to map out their starting rotation to give them plenty of flexibility heading into the playoffs. Shohei Ohtani's last two starts of the season came one week apart and on a Tuesday, and Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both pitched in time to be available for the NL Wild Card.
We've been playing really good baseball here in the last couple of weeks. I feel like sometimes when these long seasons come to a point where a lot of people are trying to find their own ways to figure themselves out, and we were worrying too much about the personal, the personal stats and the personal at-bats and all that. I feel like right now, we're playing way better baseball, and I think the team is starting to play up a little bit better, and it happened at the right time, because we'll be playing in October here really soon, and we're looking forward to continue to do that.
Heaney pitched two innings and allowed a three-run home run in what's going to be his lone appearance for the Dodgers in 2025. While with the Comets, the southpaw pitched to a 0.90 ERA in four starts. Heaney made three consecutive scoreless starts before allowing one run in two innings on Sept. 21. He collected 13 strikeouts across 10 innings pitched in his four starts for Oklahoma City.
This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history saw Sandy Koufax break the National League record for strikeouts in a season on Sept. 27, 1961. The left-hander surpassed Christy Mathewson, who held the previous mark with 267 during the 1903 campaign. Koufax struck out seven batters over eight innings pitched in a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the Hall of Famer's final start of the 1961 season, finishing with a then-record 269 strikeouts.
After a leadoff single on a soft ground ball, Sheehan threw a wild pitch to move Randy Arozarena up to second. Julio Rodriguez reached on an error by Michael Conforto that made it a 1-0 lead for the Mariners. Sheehan then made an error of his own, throwing the ball away on a pickoff attempt. But Sheehan ended up striking out the next two hitters to end the inning.
They didn't dogpile on the mound. They were animated but relatively reserved in an abbreviated clubhouse champagne shower. It was no doubt a celebratory moment for the Dodgers, capturing their 12th division title in the last 13 years with an 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. But it was accompanied by moments of internal reflection, as well. About a regular season that has posed challenges at every turn. About a six-month slog in which frustration and adversity were around every corner.
This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history saw Mike Piazza hit what once held as the longest home run at Coors Field. Piazza's blast on September 26, 1997, was hit off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Darren Holmes and traveled 496 feet. Piazza's home run hit off the left-center field billboard that is located between the scoreboard and Rockpile display. However, the distance was a postgame estimate by the Rockies and ultimately was a point of contention, particularly once the Statcast era began in 2015.