PHOENIX, AZ — Teoscar Hernández delivered the decisive swing in a wild back-and-forth battle, crushing a solo homer in the eighth inning to lift the Dodgers to an 8-7 win over the Diamondbacks and send Los Angeles into the NL Championship Series against the Pirates.
The game swung repeatedly with neither side able to seize control for long. The Dodgers opened the scoring in the third on Tommy Edman’s RBI single, but Arizona answered in the bottom half with two RBI doubles to take a 2-1 lead.
The Diamondbacks expanded the advantage to 4-1 in the fourth before momentum shifted sharply toward Los Angeles. Arizona starter Ryne Nelson allowed a run in the fifth and then unraveled in the sixth as the Dodgers rallied for four runs to move ahead 5-4. Reliever Kade Strowd couldn’t stop the surge, surrendering three more runs as the Dodgers stretched the lead to 7-4.
Arizona refused to fade. In the seventh, Gabriel Moreno ripped a triple to left to score Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from first, and moments later Nolan Arenado singled home Moreno to tie the game 7-7 and ignite Chase Field.
The celebration was short-lived.
Hernández opened the eighth by launching a 380-foot homer to left, restoring the Dodgers’ lead at 8-7.
Closer Edwin Díaz handled the tense ninth inning. After retiring Corbin Carroll on a groundout, Díaz walked Gurriel before striking out Moreno and Alek Thomas to finish off the victory and clinch the series for Los Angeles.
