Dodgers Power Up Early 
What a way to kick off the game! In the top of the 1st inning, our boys blew the gates wide open. Shohei Ohtani set the tone with a monster homer to center, going 420 feet. Mookie Betts followed suit with another bomb, this one to left center for 400 feet, and then Freddie Freeman joined the party with a 437-foot shot to right center. Three solo homers right off the bat—talk about a thrilling start! Unfortunately, Teoscar Hernandez fouled out, and Will Smith got caught in a double play to end the inning, but not before we racked up three quick runs.
Diamondbacks Battle Back 
Not to be outdone, the D-backs came roaring back in the bottom half of the inning. Corbin Carroll answered with a homer of his own, and then Arizona capitalized on some sloppy defensive play by the Dodgers. A fielding error by Max Muncy and a few key hits later, including a two-run double by Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and the Diamondbacks took a 4-3 lead. Not the defensive display we were hoping for.
Trading Blows in the Second Inning 
Max Muncy made up for his earlier mistake with a single, later scoring thanks to Ohtani's sacrifice fly and a clutch single by Freeman. We grabbed the lead back, making it 5-4. Our pitchers settled down after that, with the D-backs going down 1-2-3 in their half. Looks like the coaches had some wise words between innings.
Tense Middle Innings 
We traded zeros in the 3rd, with Gurriel Jr. tying things up again with another homer in the bottom 3rd. In the 4th and 5th, our offense managed to scratch out another run thanks to an RBI single from Muncy. Our bullpen also stepped up, retiring the side in order. So by the end of the 5th, we were clinging to a one-run lead at 6-5.
Holding Strong
The 6th and 7th innings saw both teams’ pitchers duel it out. Tommy Edman came into center field and made key plays, and though we had chances to extend the lead, the D-backs' bullpen stood firm. Arizona managed to tie things up in the 7th inning through a sacrifice fly by Carroll, making it 6-6. It was anybody's game heading into the final innings.
Clutch Hitting in the 9th 
With the game hanging in the balance, Chris Taylor running for Smith, and Gavin Lux setting the table with a single, the hero of the night was none other than Tommy Edman, who delivered a timely single to right field, scoring both Taylor and Lux. The Dodgers took an 8-6 lead into the bottom of the 9th!
Closing It Down 
In the final frame, Evan Phillips came in to close it and did just that. Adrian Del Castillo fouled out, Eugenio Suárez grounded out, and pinch hitter Josh Bell flied out to center—our defense and bullpen sealed the 8-6 victory.
What a nail-biter! The bats were alive early, and though we faced some bumps along the way, clutch performances from Edman and solid relief pitching helped us get the job done. Go Dodgers!
Scoreboard for Dodgers @ Diamondbacks (September 1st, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 1 |