By ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Will Smith hit a tying, two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers scored three more runs in the seventh to beat the San Diego Padres, 7-2, on Thursday night, Sept. 26, and clinch the NL West title.
The rally was dampened by an apparent injury to All-Star slugger Freddie Freeman, who left the game after awkwardly colliding with Luis Arráez and the first base bag trying to avoid being tagged for the second out of the inning. Freeman grabbed at his lower right leg before hobbling off the field.
The Dodgers (95-64) had not clinched at home since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when cardboard cutouts replaced fans. The last time fans were on hand for a clincher at home was 2018.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” manager Dave Roberts said. “They fought and fought and fought and overcame adversity.”
A sellout crowd of 52,433, including retired Dodgers star Manny Ramirez, packed Dodger Stadium for the finale of the crucial series between the top two teams in the NL West. Both teams had already clinched postseason berths.
The Padres led 2-0 as Joe Musgrove pitched six shutout innings.
But the Dodgers got to him in the seventh. Musgrove gave up a leadoff walk to Max Muncy. Smith followed with a 426-foot blast to center, tying the game at 2-2. It was the Dodgers’ first home run of the three-game series.
Pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández singled and took second when Andy Pages reached on catcher’s interference by Kyle Higashioka. Shohei Ohtani singled and Hernández scored on an error, while Ohtani was safe at second on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s throwing error.
Pages and Ohtani scored on Mookie Betts’ single, making it 5-2.
Pages added a two-run, two-strike, two-out homer in the eighth.
Musgrove and Walker Buehler dueled through four scoreless innings before the Padres struck in the fifth on Arráez’s RBI groundout to first for a 1-0 lead.
Evan Phillips replaced Buehler in the sixth and gave up back-to-back singles to Jurickson Profar and Machado. They moved up on Jackson Merrill’s sacrifice bunt. Profar scored on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly to center for a 2-0 lead.
Anthony Banda (3-2) got the win with 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Padres reliever Tanner Scott (9-6) took the loss, allowing three runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Musgrove allowed two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.
Buehler gave up one run and five hits in five innings with one strikeout and one walk.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: RHP Brusdar Graterol went on IL with right shoulder inflammation. … SS Miguel Rojas (left groin tightness) had an MRI that showed a torn adductor. He received a shot and will sit out the next couple days. … LHP Anthony Banda was activated off IL. … Placed RHP Brent Honeywell Jr. on IL with a cracked right middle fingernail.
UP NEXT
Padres: They had not named a starter for Friday’s series opener at Arizona.
Dodgers: It’s a bullpen game for the series opener Friday at Colorado against Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (8-10, 4.72 ERA).
