Shohei Ohtani hit his 52nd home run of the season, and Clayton Kershaw made what is expected to be his final regular-season home start as the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched a postseason berth with a 6-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. The evening combined the weight of a franchise milestone with the farewell of one of baseball’s most decorated pitchers.
Oddsmakers had the Dodgers listed as -150 favorites on the moneyline entering the game, while the Giants were priced at +130. The over/under was set at 8.5 runs, and the teams combined for nine, narrowly pushing the total over.
Kershaw, who announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the season after 18 years with Los Angeles, received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 53,037 as he exited in the fifth inning. The left-hander allowed two runs on four hits across 4 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking four. His start began on a difficult note when Heliot Ramos led off the game with a solo home run, and Wilmer Flores added an RBI single in the third to put the Giants ahead 2-1. Kershaw left trailing but was embraced by manager Dave Roberts and his teammates in the dugout as the fans continued to cheer.
Los Angeles took control in the bottom of the fifth. Andy Pages singled and Kiké Hernández walked to set the stage for Ohtani, who connected for a three-run homer off San Francisco starter Robbie Ray. The drive to center gave Ohtani 52 home runs on the season and extended his on-base streak to 24 games, the longest active run in the majors. Mookie Betts followed two batters later with a solo homer, pushing the Dodgers ahead 5-2. Pages later added a two-out RBI double in the sixth inning to provide further insurance.
Ray, who fell to 11-8, was charged with five earned runs across five innings. The Giants managed to cut into the deficit in the seventh when Matt Chapman delivered an RBI single, but the bullpen for Los Angeles held the line.
Edgardo Henriquez picked up the win in relief, allowing one hit while striking out three in 1 2/3 innings. Jack Dreyer and Anthony Banda bridged the middle innings before Alex Vesia recorded the final three outs to secure the win. The Dodgers improved to 90-64, securing their 13th straight postseason appearance. It was also the second consecutive year the franchise has celebrated a playoff berth at home.
The Giants, now 76-78, remained three games back of the New York Mets for the final National League wild-card position. With Arizona and Cincinnati ahead of them in the standings, their postseason hopes remain slim.
The series continues Saturday with right-hander Tyler Glasnow (3-3, 3.06 ERA) scheduled to start for Los Angeles against San Francisco’s Kai-Wei Teng (2-4, 6.41 ERA).