September 29 has a place in Dodgers lore because that was the night Clayton Kershaw slammed the door on the 2015 National League West race.
Los Angeles came into the matchup with the San Francisco Giants stuck in a four-game skid, but the slump ended in style. Kershaw delivered a classic performance, going the distance and beating Madison Bumgarner in a game that secured the division for the Dodgers.
The only real threat against Kershaw came in the third inning, when the Dodgers were already ahead 2-0. He gave up a one-out single, then Kevin Frandsen advanced on a wild pitch with two outs. Angel Pagan worked a walk to keep the inning alive, but San Francisco couldn’t cash in, as Kelby Tomlinson grounded out to end the frame.
The Dodgers gave Kershaw more breathing room in the sixth. Justin Ruggiano and A.J. Ellis went back-to-back with solo home runs, and Ellis’ blast sent Bumgarner out of the game.
By then, Kershaw was in complete control. He struck out the side in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings, then finished the job by retiring the Giants in order in the ninth. The result was an 8-0 Dodgers win, with Kershaw allowing just one hit, piling up 13 strikeouts and retiring the final 19 batters he faced.
That night also put Don Mattingly in the record book. He became the first manager in Dodgers franchise history to lead the team to three straight NL West titles. It turned out to be his last division title with the club, though, since the Dodgers were later eliminated by the New York Mets in the NL Division Series, leading to a mutual parting with Mattingly.
Dave Roberts has since carried the franchise through another long run of success, guiding the Dodgers to NL West titles in 10 of his 11 seasons as manager.
The larger streak eventually reached eight straight division titles, the longest in franchise history before the Giants snapped it in 2021. Even then, the Dodgers answered by eliminating San Francisco in a dramatic NL Division Series, taking Game 5 on the road.
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Former Diamondbacks Outfielder Just Opened An Interesting NL West Door
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Now Thomas has elected free agency after the minor league season, leaving another layer to a quietly interesting NL West story. He helped Oklahoma City win both the Pacific Coast League title and the Triple-A National Championship, and his next move will be watched closely by a division that already knows his name well. [Read more 🡒]