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Angels survive Shohei Ohtani home run to walk off Dodgers
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- Angels survive Shohei Ohtani home run to walk off Dodgers
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The post Angels survive Shohei Ohtani home run to walk off Dodgers appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Los Angeles Angels delivered a dramatic 7-6, extra-innings victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. They survived a ninth-inning Shohei Ohtani home run to take the first two games of a four-game set against their crosstown rivals at Angel Stadium. In front of a sellout crowd of 44,312, Jo Adell 's walk-off heroics sent the Halos storming the field and extended their Freeway Series win streak to six games.
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The night's storyline was loaded with playoff-like intensity. The Dodgers bullpen struggles resurfaced yet again, blowing a late lead for the 18nd time this season and dropping the club into a tie with the San Diego Padres atop the NL West. For the Angels, the win was a rare bright spot in a rebuilding year and a symbolic answer to Ohtani's departure in 2023.
The Halos struck early, plating three runs in the first inning on a Taylor Ward RBI single, a Yoan Moncada double, and a Jo Adell groundout. Ward added to the lead in the third with his 28th home run, keeping him on pace to become the club's first 30-homer, 100-RBI hitter since Ohtani in 2021.
Ohtani's return to Anaheim was packed with drama from the start. In the sixth inning, with the score tied, he hit a 105 mph line drive that shortstop Zach Neto snagged before stepping on second and firing to first for the Angels' eighth triple play in franchise history. The crowd roared, but the three-time MVP would have the last laugh—temporarily.
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In the top of the ninth, Ohtani crushed his NL-leading 43rd homer , a 412-foot shot to right, giving the Dodgers a 6-5 lead. However, the Halos refused to fold. In the bottom half, Nolan Schanuel 's sacrifice fly tied the game, setting the stage for extra innings.
In the 10th inning, with the winning run on third, Adell chopped a ball over the head of third baseman Max Muncy to seal the win, sparking a jubilant on-field celebration as fireworks lit up the night sky. The victory moved the club to 58-62, nine games out of the AL Wild Card race, while dropping the Dodgers to 68-52 and 9-7 in interleague play.
For Angels fans, the victory was a satisfying answer to the ninth-inning blast that nearly decided the game. For the Dodgers, it was another reminder that bullpen struggles can derail even the most star-powered rosters.
Related: Angels pull off insane triple play on Shohei Ohtani
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