Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill was removed after throwing seven flawless innings in L.A.’s 5-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday night, only to see the bullpen blow it in the eighth.
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Los Angeles remains four games ahead of the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West.
It was the 51st anniversary of the only Dodgers ideal game, Sandy Koufax’s 1-0 gem against the Chicago Cubs. In what is considered to be an unofficial ideal game, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox walked the Washington Senators’ Ray Morgan leading off on June 23, 1917 and Ruth was ejected.
“This time of year you turn it because you have a game (Sunday)”, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said “But this time of year you’re running out of games”.
“For Clayton to be back on the mound, I think that’s a win for us”, Roberts said.
Left fielder Yasiel Puig, brought back from the minors on September 2, made an outstanding diving catch for the final out of the seventh.
Joc Pederson made a sliding and diving catch on a drive to center by Ozuna in the second. While the blister issue has bothered the 36-year-old journeyman since mid-July, that didn’t stop the Dodgers from trading a haul to the Athletics for him and outfielder Josh Reddick before the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline. Fernandez waited about 40 minutes between the fifth and sixth, because the Marlins fifth was a most unusual inning – featuring an RBI squeeze bunt by Christian Yelich, Ichiro Suzuki driving in a run by getting hit with a pitch with the bases loaded, and that same pitch knocking plate umpire Brian Knight out of the game.
The New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4, the Chicago Cubs shut out the Houston Astros in a 2-0 win, the Chicago White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-2, the Cleveland Indians edged the Minnesota Twins 5-4, and the Milwaukee Brewers were downed by the St Louis Cardinals 4-3. Tony Randazzo absorbed the shot after Josh Reddick’s foul swing bounced off Miami catcher Jeff Mathis’ mitt and struck Randazzo’s mask in the second inning. Chris Guccione replaced Knight on Saturday.
“It’s not spring training for anybody else so it’s not for me, either”, he said.
Dodgers: OF Andre Ethier (broken right leg) could make his season debut this weekend.
Marlins: Pitchers Wei-Yin Chen and Bryan Morris are to throw simulated games Sunday in attempts to determine if they will return during the final three weeks of the season. Morris has missed the last three months because of a herniated lumbar disk in his back.
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This version corrects to unofficial flawless game on June 23, 1917.
