Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 3: Max Muncy’s sac fly walks it off in extras after Tanner Scott blows Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s gem

Chad Moriyama 05/20/2025 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

After breaking their streak of alternating wins and losses with a pair of wins, the Dodgers have been in a tailspin as the pitching has faltered, losing their last four. And so they turned to their ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who gave them exactly what they needed with seven shutout innings. But the offense continued to struggle, barely scratching a run across for him, which came back to haunt them after Tanner Scott surrendered a late solo homer that tied the game up. Things eventually went to extras, where Scott again blew it by giving up a two-run shot to make it 3-1 Diamondbacks, but it was the Dodgers offense that roared alive to push three across in response, completing the comeback with a Max Muncy sacrifice fly to walk it off on a 4-3 win.

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Let’s start on the other side with spot starter Ryne Nelson, who has a 5+ ERA and is fighting for a rotation spot. Well, all he did was limit the Dodgers to three hits over five innings, though he did get a bit lucky like other D-backs starters on hard contact.

Still, he faced the minimum through three innings thanks to a single in the 1st being erased by a lined double play (again, the hard contact luck). He then got the first two batters of the 4th as well, but in a flash it was back-to-back doubles from Freddie Freeman and Will Smith to make it 1-0.

After a walk followed, they had two on, but the rally ended there in the 4th. He followed that with another clean inning in the 5th, completing a remarkable buildup type of start for him.

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Fortunately, Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked like an ace again tonight. While he did get into a bunch of 3-2 counts, he also won almost all of those battles and executed his pitches when he needed to.

He set down the first 10 batters he faced before issuing a walk, but promptly retired the next eight batters in a row, including striking out the side in the 6th. He had the hitters seeing things to the point they were swinging at cutters that hit them.

While he took a no-hitter into the 7th, he promptly had that broken when Ketel Marte missile a ball off the wall but was held to a single by a great Andy Pages play.

After he got to second on a wild pitch that was more of a passed ball, Yamamoto got a pair of groundouts that only advanced him to third. Yamamoto then walked a batter and saw his pitch count reach over 100, but Dave Roberts let him roll.

Yamamoto rewarded his faith with a strikeout, preserving the 1-0 lead in emphatic fashion.

They needed this bad: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K, 110 Pitches.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers continued to not give him any run support. Against the D-backs pen, they stranded a two-out double in the 6th, a lead-off single in the 7th, and a one-out double in the 8th. Yeah.

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That almost proved immediately problematic when Alex Vesia took over for Yamamoto in the 8th, as he allowed a lead-off double, seemed to have miscommunication on a bunt to third with Max Muncy for a single, and just like that the runners were cornered. However, he fought back by getting an infield pop and a strikeout, before issuing an intentional walk to load the bases.

At that point it was Ben Casparius, who dramatically entered, worked a 3-2 count, and then got a strikeout to maintain the lead.

In the 9th, it was Tanner Scott, who promptly gave up a solo shot to Gabriel Moreno to tie things up, 1-1, and just like that all of Yamamoto’s (and Casparius’) work went down the drain.

For their half of the 9th, the Dodgers rallied a bit behind a lead-off walk and a two-out walk, but couldn’t push anything across.

And so … bonus baseball.

Scott continued for his second inning in the 10th, and he got the first out, but Corbin Carroll then hit a two-run homer to put the D-backs up 3-1.

He got another out and then gave up a single, getting removed for Anthony Banda, who got the last out of the 10th.

The lowest point of the game for the Dodgers seemed to make the end a formality, but instead the offense broke out. Tommy Edman started with a double to score the Manfred Runner to make it 3-2.

They then walked Shohei Ohtani intentionally to put a pair on, and Mookie Betts tried to ambush the first pitch but just missed it for a flyout that advanced Tommy to third. After Ohtani stole second, they also walked Freddie intentionally, which backfired after Smith got hit by a pitch to tie the game, and finally Muncy came up with a sac fly for the 4-3 walk-off win.

It was an adventure for me.

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NL WestRecordGB
Dodgers30-19–
Giants29-211.5
Padres27-202.0

The series will conclude tomorrow at the usual time of 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET, and it’ll be Dustin May looking to bounceback again, this time against their ace Corbin Burnes.

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