Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 and fell short in his attempt to become the National League’s first Triple Crown winner since 1937, but he did steal his 59th base to help the Los Angeles Dodgers come from behind to beat the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Sunday, which was Charlie Blackmon’s last game.
Ohtani ended the regular season leading the NL in home runs with 54 and RBIs with 130. His batting average of .310 was just behind San Diego’s Luis Arráez, who had a .314 average.
As a member of the 50-50 club, Ohtani stole his 59th base during the eighth-inning rally. It could have been his 60th, but on Saturday night, he was called out for a balk while trying to steal a base.
“I didn’t think about the Triple Crown or how close I was to it today,” Ohtani said through a translator. “Today, I was focused on having quality at-bats.”
The last NL player to win the Triple Crown was St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joe Medwick in 1937. In the AL, Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012. Manager Dave Roberts said the season exceeded his expectations.
“There were ways early to get him out – crowding him down below, up – but now, his control of the strike zone has just gone to another level,” Roberts said. “And then the base-stealing, obviously. We’ve never seen that type of efficiency.”
Ohtani finished with 59 stolen bases out of 63 attempts, including 36 in a row without being caught. He is two steals away from matching the franchise record of 61 set by Davey Lopes in 1975.
“The most important part of all this is that I was able to play consistently the whole year,” Ohtani said.
Chris Taylor tied the game in the eighth inning with his first home run since July 7. He had a long at-bat in the third that resulted in a walk, which may have helped him get locked in.
Shortly after Taylor’s homer, Austin Barnes and Ohtani both hit singles. Barnes then stole third base as part of a double steal with Ohtani.
Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen seemed to get his cleat stuck in the dirt during his delivery and stopped. He was called for a balk, which allowed Barnes to score.
Evan Phillips (5-1) got the win, and Edgardo Henriquez closed out the ninth inning for his first career save, making him one of 14 Dodgers who have saves this season.
The Dodgers finished with the best record in the league at 98-64, breaking a streak of four full seasons with 100 or more wins (they went 43-17 during the shortened 2020 season). As the NL West champions, they will start the Division Series on Saturday and have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Sam Hilliard hit a 476-foot home run into the right field third deck, giving the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the second inning. This was the fourth-longest home run in the major leagues this season.
Starter Ryan Feltner allowed only two hits over six strong innings but did not get a decision. Reliever Victor Vodnik (5-4) took the loss.
It was an emotional day for Blackmon, who went 1 for 2 in his 14th and final season, all with the Rockies. Known for his bushy beard, he was taken out for a pinch-runner after hitting a single in the third inning.
“It was really cool to end on a hit,” Blackmon said. “One last time getting to savor it on the way out.”
He was honored in a pregame ceremony and walked out to center field alone to soak in the applause. Blackmon leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in triples and ranks second behind Hall of Famer Todd Helton in games played and runs scored.
Are you planning to keep the beard? “Good question,” Blackmon said, noting he started his career clean-shaven.
Colorado (61-101) has now had back-to-back seasons with 100 losses. The team finished last season with a record of 59-103. The Rockies had 2,540,195 fans attend games at Coors Field this season, compared to 2,607,935 last year.
Before the game, Rockies manager Bud Black avoided questions about his expiring contract. “Thank you for not asking,” Black said playfully.
