Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman began the game with three consecutive home runs, marking the first time this has happened in the Dodgers’ 141-year history. Tommy Edman then hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to secure an 8-6 victory for Los Angeles against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.
Corbin Carroll led off with an inside-the-park home run for Arizona.
Ohtani hit his 44th home run of the season, a 420-foot blast to center field off Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly. Betts followed with his 14th home run, and Freeman hit his 19th home run of the season on the very next pitch, sending it 437 feet to right-center. This was the first time these three stars hit home runs in sequence.
“We got good players,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Ben Casparius (1-0), making his major league debut, pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Dodgers, who won their fourth straight game. Evan Phillips retired the side in the ninth for his 18th save.
Ohtani also had a sacrifice fly in the second inning, and Freeman added another run with a single. Both runs were unearned due to an error by Kelly while trying to get a force out at third on Kevin Kiermaier’s bunt.
Kelly pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing 10 hits and six runs, four of which were earned.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a home run and drove in three runs for the Diamondbacks.
Carroll’s inside-the-park home run to center field in the first inning, a first for the franchise, was his fifth in five games. Center fielder Kiermaier leaped at the wall, but the ball bounced back toward the infield, and Carroll scored standing up.
