Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts commented on the obscure, game-ending double play in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Dodgers held their 2-1 lead with one out in the ninth inning in Tuesday’s game, but the Phillies threatened to win the game with runners on second and third with just one out. Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh stepped up to the plate, and dribbled a grounder to third base.
Max Muncy fielded the grounder, and threw home in time to beat Justin Crawford, who pinch ran for Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm. Crawford turned back to head to third after Muncy threw home, getting himself in a rundown while catcher J.T. Realmuto advanced to third.
After Crawford turned back to third base, though, Realmuto curiously turned back to run to second base. Shortstop Mookie Betts slapped a tag on Crawford, and fired back to second to get Realmuto out as well, ending the game.
“It’s just fundamentals,” Roberts said. “Max did a great job securing the baseball, understood that the tying run was going home, and secured it, ran him hard back. To be quite frank, Dalton should have run the player back, but he didn’t. Fortunately, J.T. made an uncharacteristic baserunning mistake and fortunately Mookie threw a dart to second base. Big adrenaline, big, big win.”
The couple play secured the win for the Dodgers, and leveled the series with the Phillies to force a rubber match in the finale on Wednesday.
How Did the Game Unfold?
The Dodgers conceded the first run in the game, as Justin Wrobleski allowed back-to-back knocks with two outs in the first inning. LA nearly scored in the third inning to level the game when Shohei Ohtani singled with Eliezer Alfonzo on second, but he tried to stretch his hit into a double and got thrown out before the catcher stepped on home plate.
Max Muncy came through for the Dodgers the following inning, hitting a clutch home run to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. Muncy hit a similar homer during the Dodgers last series against the Yankees, smashing one into the second deck in right field to score the only runs of the game for the Dodgers in a 2-1 win.
Neither team got much going until the Phillies’ opportunity in the ninth, and Tanner Scott earned a save after the 5-2-6-4 double play.
The Dodgers will look to win their second consecutive series following the All-Star break on Wednesday, as Eric Lauer takes the mound. The left-hander has been solid for the Dodgers since his arrival, posting a 3.12 ERA through seven games on the mound. LA is yet to lose a game in which Lauer has pitched.
They’ll look to keep that record intact in Wednesday’s game, which begins at 3:40 p.m. PT.
