By all indications, the Dodgers should have lost Tuesday in Denver.
After falling into a five-run deficit almost immediately at Coors Field, the Dodgers entered the ninth inning still needing to make up that gap. The game was three outs away from ending.
Of course, that’s when they finally came to life.
Behind two huge home runs from Jayson Heyward and Teoscar Hernández, the Dodgers pulled off a ridiculous comeback to take an 11-9 victory over the Colorado Rockies. They scored seven runs in the ninth inning to take the win.
The demonstration marked the first time since 1957 that the Dodgers have overcome a deficit of five or more runs in the ninth inning or later. The Dodgers are also the first team in MLB history hitting a grand slam and a three-run homer in the ninth inning or later while down.
First, after the team loaded the bases in the ninth inning, it was Heyward who hit a grand slam with his deep shot from the right field foul pole. That reduced the deficit to a single run.
Then, with two outs and two strikes, Hernandez did the same, hitting a three-run homer to put the Dodgers ahead for the first time all night.
From there, the Dodgers shut down the Rockies in the bottom of the inning to take the win.
The Dodgers entered the ninth with four runs on the scoreboard, largely thanks to Shohei Ohtani. He had two hits, two RBIs and a deep solo home run in the sixth inning, which traveled a season-high 476 feet to center field off Rockies pitcher Austin Gomber.
Ohtani now has 91 hits, 20 home runs and 49 RBIs on the year.
The victory marked the Dodgers’ fourth in their last five games and their second in a row over the Rockies. They have a 46-29 record, which is good for a huge lead in the NL West heading into Wednesday’s game in Denver, which will be the third of a four-game series against the Rockies.
The Rockies, on the other hand, are in last place in the division and have lost seven of their last nine games. While they appeared to be on track to win on Tuesday, they faltered at the last moment.