It was a glorious Friday night at Coors Field. Unless, of course, you played for the Rockies, who were blasted 11-4.
But if you were a blue-clad Dodgers fan — and there were plenty of them — it provided a chance to cheer on a team that locked up the National League West title for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons by defeating the Padres Thursday night.
And if you were simply a fan of baseball legends, you got to see Shohei Ohtani continue his supernatural season.
The Dodgers’ designated hitter, who’s a lock to win National League MVP, supplied the in-game pyrotechnics long before the postgame fireworks that drew an announced sellout crowd of 48,750 to the ballpark.
Ohtani hit 4 for 5, slugged a three-run homer to the second deck above right field in the sixth inning, drove in four runs, and stole his 57th base. His homer was his 54th. He’s swiped 34 consecutive bags without getting thrown out.
Wait, there’s more. Ohtani stole a base and homered in the same game for the 16th time this season, extending his major league record. And he has an OPS of 1.041.
Chants of “MVP!” greeted Ohtani after his 436-foot moonshot off reliever Anthony Molina.
The Rockies, who are 3-7 against Los Angeles this season, took another shaky step toward their second consecutive 100-loss season. With a 61-99 record, they must beat the Dodgers in the season’s final two games to avoid the ignominy of triple-digit losses.
It was an ugly final start of the season for right-hander Cal Quantrill, who got the hook after only 3 1/3 innings. The Dodgers, who pounded out 15 hits, raked Quantrill for seven of them, including a two-run blast to left by Teoscar Hernandez in the first inning and a leadoff homer by Andy Pages in the fourth.
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Cal Quantrill works against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Quantrill finished his season 8-11 with a 4.98 ERA. The right-hander, who began the season so strong, has faltered. Over his last 15 starts, he’s served up 15 home runs and has a 6.88 ERA.
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There was a sprinkling of good news for Colorado. Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar went 2 for 4, tripling home Charlie Blackmon in the first inning and driving in Jake Cave with a single in the fifth. Left fielder Nolan Jones hit 2 for 4 with two RBIs.
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Saturday’s pitching matchup
Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-2, 2.96 ERA) at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (0-0, 3.38)
6:10 p.m. Saturday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM
Senzatela is making his third start of the season after returning from 2023 Tommy John surgery. The fact that the right-hander pitched at all this season is a victory in and of itself because there were no guarantees that would happen. He did not get a decision in Colorado’s 6-5 loss to the Dodgers last Sunday in Los Angeles, but he pitched well, allowing one run on five hits over five innings. Senzatela is 4-5 with a 5.68 ERA in 16 career appearances (14 starts) against L.A. He’s 3-1 with a 5.90 ERA in six career starts vs. the Dodgers at Coors Field.
Yamamoto, who missed significant time with injuries, will use his start to tune up for the playoffs. He’s pitched two scoreless outings since returning, but he was limited to four innings in each of those games. The Dodgers are hopeful he can progress to six innings and 90 pitches on Saturday. He’s faced the Rockies twice, going 1-0 with a 5.00 ERA, 11 strikeouts and four walks. He’s never pitched at Coors Field.
Pitching probables
Sunday: Dodgers RHP Landon Knack (3-5, 3.74) at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (3-10, 4.66), 1:10 p.m.
End of regular season