Clement’s Ninth-Inning Blast Lifts Jays Over Dodgers
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By Noan Gagnon
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Summary:
- Ernie Clement’s solo shot in the ninth powered the Toronto Blue Jays past the LA Dodgers 5-4 on Sunday, avoiding a series sweep.
- Shohei Ohtani homered early to tie for the National League lead.
- Mason Fluharty secured the victory by striking out Ohtani in the ninth.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani launched his 41st home run of the season on Sunday in the game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
However, Ernie Clement truly took the spotlight when he delivered a go-ahead blast in the ninth, lifting the American League-leading Jays to a 5-4 win. And just like that, John Schneider’s side heroically saved the final game of the series.
First Career Save for Fluharty
Toronto turned to rookie Mason Fluharty for the biggest outs of the afternoon after closer Jeff Hoffman lost command.
With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth, the 23year-old rookie struck out Ohtani on a full-count breaking ball before getting Mookie Betts to roll into a game-ending groundout, securing his first career save in high-drama fashion.
The Blue Jays’ bats came alive late. Down a run in the eighth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tied it with a towering shot, and Addison Barger followed with a go-ahead homer off Blake Treinen.
Clement “Just Wanted to Put a Good Swing On It”
However, Hoffman surrendered a bases-loaded walk to Freddie Freeman in the bottom half, setting the stage for Clement’s heroics. Leading off the ninth, Clement jumped on the first pitch from Alex Vesia (2-2) and sent it into the left-field seats.
I just wanted to put a good swing on it. Thankfully, I got a pitch I could handle.
Hoffman (7-4) struggled throughout his brief outing, walking three of the first four batters he faced in the ninth.
Ohtani’s leadoff blast traveled 400 feet and marked his third homer in four games, tying him with Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the National League lead. Freeman also went deep in the first, giving the Dodgers an early cushion. Ohtani finished 2-for-3 with two intentional walks.
Despite the loss, Tyler Glasnow continued his run of excellence for Los Angeles. The right-hander allowed just two runs on four hits over 5⅔ innings, striking out eight. Still, his winless streak reached 10 starts dating back to March 31, despite posting a 1.82 ERA since returning from the injured list.
A key moment was when Guerrero and Barger punished belt-high sweepers from Treinen, while Clement’s ninth-inning swing came on a low slider that was executed well but hit even better.
Since he became a regular leadoff hitter with the Dodgers last season, Ohtani has crushed no less than 23 career first-inning homers to start games, 11 of them this year alone, the most in MLB.
Next in line, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-7, 2.51 ERA) will join the Dodgers in Anaheim on Monday, while José Berríos (8-4, 3.89 ERA) will get the start for Toronto at home Tuesday against the Cubs.
