Dodgers Top 24 Moments of the 2024 Season Part 3 (12-7)
Dodgers Nation is recounting the top 24 moments of the Dodgers’ 2024 season.
For Part 1 (moments 24-19), click here. For Part 2 (moments 18-13), click here.
Let’s jump right into the top 12.
12. Teoscar Hernández Becomes First Dodger to Win Home Run Derby
The Dodgers entered the 2024 season with zero Home Run Derby wins in franchise history. They ended it with one.
Teoscar Hernández put on a show in the 2024 Home Run Derby, beating out Bobby Witt Jr. in the finals to take the crown.
It was an incredible moment for Hernández and the entire Dodgers organization.
11. Freddie Freeman Returns to Standing Ovation From Dodger Fans Following Son’s Illness
Freddie Freeman and his family endured a scary situation in late July when his son, Max, battled Guillain-Barré syndrome. Freeman was away from the Dodgers for nine days, and when he returned on Aug. 6, he was greeted by a Dodger Stadium standing ovation in his first at-bat. Freeman battled tears in one of the most heartwarming moments of the season.
“Since I’ve got here, these three years I’ve been here, it’s hard to put into words what the Dodger fans have meant to us and our family,” Freeman said after the game. “In the toughest times, it shows the true character of this organization’s fans, and it’s absolutely incredible.”
10. Kiké Hernández Hits Go-Ahead Home Run in NLDS Game 5
Arguably the most important game of the Dodgers’ 2024 season was Game 5 of the NLDS against the Padres. A win would send the Dodgers to the NLCS. A loss would end their season in heartbreak for the third consecutive season.
In the bottom of the second inning, L.A.’s Mr. October, Kiké Hernández, crushed a 428-foot home run to left field against Yu Darvish to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers ended up winning, 2-0, to clinch an NLCS appearance.
9. Blake Treinen Gets Much-Needed Mound Visit From Dave Roberts in World Series
In Game 5 of the World Series, the Dodgers were running out of pitchers. Blake Treinen, who had already thrown 37 pitches, seemed to be on his last legs after walking Jazz Chisholm Jr. Dave Roberts emerged from the dugout, but didn’t take Treinen out of the game. Instead, he put his arms on his shoulders, and had a message for him.
“I just wanted to feel his heartbeat and just kind of look him in the eye and say, ‘What do you got?'” Roberts said. “And he said, ‘I want him.’ And so I said, ‘All right, you got this hitter.’ Because my intention was for him to get one hitter.”
Treinen got Giancarlo Stanton out on one pitch. Then, he struck out Anthony Rizzo to end the inning. That allowed Walker Buehler to pitch just the ninth inning (but more on that later).
8. Aaron Judge’s Error Starts 5-Run 5th Inning for Dodgers in World Series
The World Series seemed destined for a Game 6. The Yankees had all the momentum and a 5-0 lead. Then, Aaron Judge dropped a fly ball.
With a runner on first and no outs, Judge dropped a routine fly ball to center field. Then, the floodgates opened. Another throwing error and Gerrit Cole forgetting to cover first base allowed the Dodgers multiple attempts at a comeback, and they finally took advantage, scoring five runs to tie the game heading into the sixth. The rest is history.
7. Dodgers Honor Fernando Valenzuela Ahead of World Series Game 1
In one of the most powerful moments of the year, the Dodgers honored Fernando Valenzuela ahead of Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, a few days after his passing. Orel Hershiser and Steve Yeager, teammates of Valenzuela’s, wore his jersey for the ceremonial first pitch. Rather than throwing a pitch, though, they placed the ball on the pitcher’s mound next to Valenzuela’s No. 34.
Stay tuned on dodgersnation.com for Part 4 of this series.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
