Page 20 - ARUBA TODAY

A20 SPORTS
Tuesday 2 OcTOber 2018
Buehler, Dodgers top Rockies 5-2; 6th straight NL West title

By BETH HARRIS on the board with his 25th
LOS ANGELES (AP) — What homer in the fourth, a two-
a day for Walker Buehler. out shot to left that made
The rookie with the preter- it 2-0. Muncy struck out
natural calm pitched the leading off but was safe
Los Angeles Dodgers to a at first on a passed ball by
record sixth consecutive NL catcher Tony Wolters. After
West title. Manny Machado and Yas-
Buehler tossed one-hit ball mani Grandal struck out,
into the seventh inning, Bellinger connected on
and Cody Bellinger and a 1-0 pitch from German
Max Muncy launched two- Marquez (14-11).
run homers to beat the Joc Pederson doubled to
Colorado Rockies 5-2 in a deep right-center leading
tiebreaker on Monday. off the fifth. One out later,
"It's a normal baseball Muncy hit his 35th homer to
game. It's hyped up, there's left-center, extending the
an adrenaline, but you got lead to 4-0 and chasing
to execute," Buehler said. Marquez.
"That's all you can do." Marquez gave up four
The defending NL cham- runs — two earned — and
pion Dodgers became the five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He
first major league team struck out nine and walked
to win six straight division two.
crowns since the Yankees The Dodgers played their
captured nine AL East titles first tiebreaker since 1980,
in a row from 1998-2006. when they lost to Houston
"It doesn't get old," con- for the division title.
firmed ace Clayton Ker- The Rockies were on a roll
shaw. coming into the club's sec-
Los Angeles now hosts At- ond tiebreaker and first for
lanta in the best-of-five NL the NL West title, having
Division Series beginning won nine of 10 since being
Thursday. swept at Dodger Stadium
"We're going to beat At- from Sept. 17-19.
lanta," a shirtless Yasiel Puig "Today was unfortunate,
proclaimed, rivulets of beer but the fact of the matter
and champagne down his is we have a chance to win
front and back. "No matter the World Series," Blackmon
who's coming, we're go- said. "I feel like most of the
ing to the World Series and guys are looking at this as a
bring the 2018 champion- great opportunity."
ship here." GOOGLE-EYED LASORDA
Denied their first division Tom Lasorda stood in the
title in franchise history, the Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler throws against the Colorado Rockies during midst of the partying, his
Rockies head to Wrigley the first inning of a tiebreaker baseball game, Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, in Los Angeles. blue Dodgers jacket bone-
Field to play the Chicago Associated Press dry. The 91-year-old Hall of
Cubs in the NL wild-card Famer, who managed the
game on Tuesday night. he responded." on Charlie Blackmon's sin- ed his last name. The right- club to its last World Series
"Our guys will put it in the Buehler's only slip-up came gle, one of his two hits for hander struck out three title in 1988, wore goggles
rearview for sure," Rockies on the field after the game the Rockies. and walked three. to protect his eyes from the
manager Bud Black said of when he let loose with an "He didn't fold at all under Despite posting the best spray of alcohol.
the loss. "The resiliency of inadvertent expletive, hav- pressure," Muncy said. "He road record in franchise THROUGH THE GATES
this group has been awe- ing been handed the mic went there and attacked history (44-38), the Rock- The announced atten-
some all year." after fans demanded to them just like we knew he ies couldn't get untracked. dance of 47,816 pushed
Pitching in 90-degree heat, hear from him. He clasped was going to." They didn't advance a the Dodgers' season to-
Buehler was oh-so-cool in his hand to his mouth and Buehler even helped him- runner past second base tal to 3,857,500, breaking
closing out a regular sea- apologized. self offensively, hitting a until the ninth when Nolan the franchise record of
son that ended with Game No need to be sorry, single in the sixth for his first Arenado and Trevor Story 3,857,036 set in 2007 and
163 after both teams had though, after that perfor- professional RBI and ex- homered back-to-back off the sixth-highest in NL his-
identical records of 91-71. mance. tending the Dodgers' lead closer Kenley Jansen. tory.
The soft-spoken, 24-year- Buehler settled in quickly, to 5-0. Jansen then retired the GOING LONG
old from Lexington, Ken- retiring his first six batters in "Love that, absolutely," he next three batters in a row. Arenado finished the regu-
tucky, has been so steady a row, and never did allow said, soaked to the skin. "What happened?" Jansen lar season with 38 homers
of late that manager Dave a run. After giving up a two-out said when asked about the to lead the NL. Story ended
Roberts had no qualms "Walker is a tremendous walk to Carlos Gonzalez in homers. "We're first in the with 37, a career-high.
about giving Buehler the talent," Kershaw said. "His the seventh, Buehler exited division, that's what hap- UP NEXT
ball for the crucial game competitiveness is off-the- to a standing ovation from pened." The Dodgers' two The Dodgers get two days
that helped decide the charts, his ability is off-the- the announced crowd of homers extended their off before the division se-
Dodgers' postseason fate. charts." 47,816. He waved his right franchise and NL-leading ries. The Rockies were
"He's ready for this mo- Buehler (8-5) had his no-hit hand and quickly strode to total to 235 on the season. headed to Chicago imme-
ment," Roberts said, "and bid broken up in the sixth the dugout as fans chant- Bellinger got the Dodgers diately after the game.q