DENVER — Max Muncy shone with a remarkable performance, blasting a grand slam and driving in six runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers cruised to an 8-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered an impressive display for the Dodgers, allowing just one hit across five scoreless innings before being pulled due to a rain delay.
Muncy’s seventh-inning grand slam marked his eighth career achievement of this kind. Michael Conforto contributed with a homer for the second consecutive game, while Shohei Ohtani showcased his discipline at the plate, reaching base four times with a single, two walks (one intentional), and a catcher’s interference call.
The game saw a significant interruption when heavy rain descended in the sixth inning, moments after Muncy exploited an infield popup for a two-run single. Second baseman Thairo Estrada had called for the pop-up but shielded himself from the rain as the ball landed near first baseman Michael Toglia. The tarp was deployed with the Dodgers leading 2-0.
Unfortunately for Colorado, the game delay, lasting 1 hour and 27 minutes, was too much for Yamamoto, who did not return post-interruption. During his stint, Yamamoto was efficient, surrendering only a single hit to Sam Hilliard in the third inning and issuing a walk to Estrada in the fifth. Out of 56 pitches, 39 were strikes, yielding six strikeouts.
On the Rockies’ side, rookie pitcher Chase Dollander put in a relatively strong performance over 5 2/3 innings but conceded three runs.
A pivotal moment came when Dodgers’ reliever Alex Vesia ended the sixth inning by striking out Ryan McMahon with a decisive slider, with two runners on base and the game close at 3-1.
Statistics highlight the Dodgers’ dominance over the Rockies, having secured nine consecutive victories against them, including a clean sweep of their five encounters this season.
Looking ahead, Dodgers’ renowned left-hander Clayton Kershaw is on the brink of a career milestone, needing only eight more strikeouts to reach 3,000. He is set to start on Thursday against the Rockies. Meanwhile, the Rockies will counter with lefty Austin Gomber, who is currently seeking his first win of the season with an ERA of 8.38.