1 of 5 | Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman homered in the second and fourth innings of an 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday in Phoenix. File Photo by John McCoy/UPI | License Photo
Freddie Freeman homered twice to pace an 8-0 thrashing of the Arizona Diamondbacks, which helped the Los Angeles Dodgers clinch the National League West title.
The Dodgers first baseman homered in the second and fourth innings of the lopsided victory Thursday in Phoenix. Center fielder Andy Pages and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani also homered in the win.
“This is awesome,” Freeman told reporters. “To be able to win a division title is awesome. This is always the first step in our goal. … It’s been a long year, with a lot of grinding going on.
“This is special.”
With the victory, the Dodgers edged the San Diego Padres to secure a division crown for the 11th time in 12 years. They locked up the No. 3 seed and are on track to face the No. 6 seed, the last team to clinch a wild card berth, in the first round of the postseason.
Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed four hits over six shutout innings in Thursday’s triumph. Freeman drew first blood with a 411-foot solo shot in the top of the second. Pages hit a 396-foot homer in the next at-bat. Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts doubled the lead with a two-run single later in the inning.
Ohtani hit his 54th homer of the season — a 406-foot two-run shot — in the fourth. Freeman smacked a 398-foot two-run homer three at-bats later for the Dodgers’ final runs of the night.
The Dodgers will take on the Seattle Mariners, who clinched the American League Central West title earlier this week, in the opener of a three-game series at 9:40 p.m. EDT Friday in Seattle.
They would take on the New York Mets in the wild card round of the postseason if the playoffs started after Thursday’s games. The Mets (82-77) are clinging to the final wild card spot, but are being chased by the Cincinnati Reds (81-78).
The Reds edged the Pittsburgh Pirates (69-90) on Thursday afternoon to climb within a half-game of the No. 6 spot, but the Mets later beat the Chicago Cubs (89-70) to keep their one-game edge.
The Mariners are the only American League team to have clinched a division title, with the American League East and American League Central crowns still available.
The Detroit Tigers (86-73) snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 4-2- win over the Cleveland Guardians (86-63) on Thursday to climb into a tie with the Guardians atop the American League Central.
The New York Yankees (91-68) and Toronto Blue Jays (91-68), who are tied atop the American League East and each already clinched playoff berths, both won Thursday to keep their race tight.
The Boston Red Sox (87-72) currently sit in the second wild card slot, a game in front of the Tigers. The Houston Astros (85-74) are one game behind the Tigers.
The Cubs will host the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of Friday’s slate. First pitch is set for 2:20 p.m. at Wrigley Field. The Yankees will host the Baltimore Orioles at 7:05 p.m. in New York. The Blue Jays will host the Tampa Bay Rays at 7:07 p.m. in Toronto.
The Guardians take on the Texas Rangers at 7:10 p.m. in Cleveland. The Mets and Miami Marlins will battle at the same time in Miami. The Tigers will face the Red Sox at the same time in Boston.
The Milwaukee Brewers will host the Reds at 8:10 p.m. in Milwaukee.
