The Dodgers didn’t come out flat after celebrating the NL West title. They came out swinging.
On Friday night at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles beat the Giants 8-2 and, in the process, stirred up memories of the “4+1” game from 20 years ago. That one came on this same date in 2006, when the Dodgers mashed four home runs in the bottom of the ninth, then finished it off with a walk-off blast against the Padres. This time, the fireworks came in the eighth.
Mookie Betts set the tone right away. He jumped on Cesar Perdomo for a leadoff home run and gave the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead. Betts would later add another homer in the eighth, his 22nd of the season and his most since 2023.
The Giants answered quickly. Jung Hoo Lee went deep against Tyler Glasnow to pull San Francisco even at 1-1, and the visitors grabbed a 2-1 lead in the third after two singles, a stolen base and a walk forced Glasnow to keep pitching from behind. Even so, Glasnow’s night ended with a season-high 10 strikeouts, despite some fastball command issues.
Los Angeles kept chipping away. In the fifth, Josue De Paula picked up his first career hit at Dodger Stadium with a leadoff single, and Betts followed with his third time reaching base. Teoscar Hernández then brought home the tying run with the third single of the inning against the rookie lefty Perdomo.
De Paula kept making noise in his Dodger Stadium debut. In the sixth, he lined a double to right field off the San Francisco bullpen to drive in the go-ahead run. He finished 2-for-3 with two hits and a walk.
Then came the inning that made the night feel like a throwback. Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker started the eighth with back-to-back home runs against left-hander Philip Abner. Betts made it three homers in the inning with his second of the game, and Will Smith followed with another solo shot to cap the four-homer burst and stretch the lead to 8-2.
The late surge also opened the door for Edwin Diaz to get back on the mound for the first time in a month. He struck out two in a scoreless ninth to close out the win.
In Other News...
Dave Roberts Just Raised A Dodgers Question Fans Will Hate
Elly De La Cruz has already become one of the more frustrating outs on the Dodgers schedule, and Dave Roberts made sure to acknowledge why. The Reds shortstop has put together a strong season and has shown up especially well against Los Angeles, where his speed, power and all-around athleticism have stood out in the kind of matchups that tend to sharpen a players profile.
Roberts praised De La Cruzs talent and the way he handles big moments, which only adds to the sense that this is the sort of player every contender notices. For Dodgers fans, the uncomfortable part is that De La Cruz is still early in his team control window, with three years of arbitration left before he can hit free agency in 2030, and Cincinnati has not yet locked him into a long-term deal. That leaves plenty of time for a player already looking like one of the sports more electric names to remain a problem for Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Rehab Concern Emerges After Pitcher Exits Triple A Game Fast
Oklahoma Citys Friday doubleheader ended on a positive note in the standings, but one of the more important developments for the Dodgers came on the mound. In the resumed game against El Paso, Jake Cousins needed only one pitch before leaving with a leg issue as he continues his rehab from Tommy John surgery, a setback that quickly shifted attention away from the two wins the Triple-A club collected.
The Dodgers have been monitoring Cousins as part of his return process, so any interruption in that buildup is worth watching closely. Oklahoma City still got plenty from the rest of the roster, with Alex Thomas, Matt Gorski and Zach Ehrhard standing out offensively across the two games, but the bigger question now is how the club handles Cousins next steps after such a brief outing. [Read more 🡒]
Josue De Paula Just Changed A Real Dodgers October Debate
Josue De Paulas first turn at Dodger Stadium came in a game that looked a lot like the kind of October test the Dodgers have been chasing all season. Los Angeles beat the Giants in the opener of its final homestand, kept rolling in the season series, and did it with a power display that included five home runs. Tyler Glasnow gave them six solid innings, allowing two runs while striking out six, and the bullpen finished the job without much fuss.
De Paulas contribution in his home debut adds another layer to a lineup already built for October noise, and its the kind of performance that can make a front office pause when the calendar tightens. The Dodgers have spent much of the season sorting out how their best version looks, and games like this only sharpen the conversation about who belongs in the mix when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]