2018 National League West tie-breaker game

The 2018 National League West tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2018 regular season, played between the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers to determine the champion of the National League's (NL) West Division. It was played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California on October 1, 2018.

2018 National League West tie-breaker game
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Colorado Rockies000000002240
Los Angeles Dodgers00022100x590
DateOctober 1, 2018
VenueDodger Stadium
CityLos Angeles, California
Umpires
Attendance47,816
TelevisionESPN
TV announcersJon Sciambi, David Ross, and Rick Sutcliffe
RadioESPN
Radio announcersAdam Amin and Jim Bowden

The game was won by Los Angeles, 5–2. The Dodgers became the second seed in the NL playoffs and advanced to play the NL East champion Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series. The Rockies were hosted by the NL Central runner-up Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card Game on October 2.[1]

The tie-breaker counted as a regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.[2]

Background

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2018 Major League Baseball season having won the last five consecutive National League West division championships.[3] The Colorado Rockies made the Major League Baseball postseason in 2017 as a wild card.[4] Despite this being their fifth postseason appearance, the Rockies had not won a division title.[5]

Both the Dodgers and Rockies finished the 2018 regular season with 91–71 (.562) win-loss records, necessitating a tie-breaking game to determine the division champion.[1] As the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers tied for first place in the National League Central division, they also played in a tie-breaker game, marking the first time in Major League Baseball that two tie-breakers were needed in a single year.[6]

Game summary
Cody Bellinger hit a two-run home run for Los Angeles.[7]
October 1, 2018, 1:08 pm (PDT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, 90 °F (32 °C), sunny
Team123456789RHE
Colorado Rockies000000002240
Los Angeles Dodgers00022100X590
WP: Walker Buehler (8–5)   LP: Germán Márquez (14–11)
Home runs:
COL: Nolan Arenado (38), Trevor Story (37)
LAD: Cody Bellinger (25), Max Muncy (35)
Attendance: 47,816
Boxscore

The Dodgers hosted the tie-breaker game based on their head-to-head record against the Rockies in the regular season. Germán Márquez started for Colorado and Walker Buehler started for Los Angeles.[8] ESPN broadcast the game, with Jon Sciambi, David Ross, and Rick Sutcliffe. They also carried the game on ESPN Radio, with Adam Amin and Jim Bowden.[9][10]

The Dodgers got two-run home runs from Cody Bellinger in the fourth inning and Max Muncy in the fifth inning off of Márquez, who struck out nine in ​4 2⁄3 innings.[7] Meanwhile, Buehler did not allow a hit in his first five innings, and allowed one hit in ​6 2⁄3 total innings. The Rockies got solo homers in the ninth inning from Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story off of Kenley Jansen. However, they ended the game with only four hits.[11] The Dodgers won the game 5–2 to clinch their sixth consecutive division championship. They became the first team to win six straight division championships since the New York Yankees won 13 straight from 1995-2007 and only the third overall (the Atlanta Braves won 14 from 1991-2005).[7]

Aftermath

With the victory, the Dodgers clinched the second seed in the NL postseason. They beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS in four games. [12] The Dodgers defeated the Brewers in the NLCS in seven games,[13] and moved onto the World Series, where they lost in five games to the Boston Red Sox.[14]

With the loss, the Rockies were relegated to the second Wild Card spot. The Rockies defeated the Chicago Cubs in the 2018 National League Wild Card Game the next day, but were then swept by the Brewers in the NLDS.[15]

References
  1. Lacques, Greg (September 30, 2018). "Game 163! Historic day on tap as Dodgers-Rockies, Cubs-Brewers set for NL tiebreakers Monday". USA Today. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  2. "MLB - Breaking down Monday's division tiebreaker doubleheader". Espn.com. October 1, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  3. Harding, Thomas (May 24, 2018). "Rockies to play Dodgers in NL West tiebreaker". MLB.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  4. Acquavella, Katherine (September 28, 2018). "Rockies clinch playoff berth by beating Nationals, magic number two for NL West title". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  5. Acquavella, Katherine (September 29, 2018). "Rockies clinch playoff berth by beating Nationals, magic number two for NL West title". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  6. "MLB - Breaking down Monday's division tiebreaker doubleheader". ESPN. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  7. Gurnick, Ken (October 1, 2018). "LA wins 6th straight NL West title in tiebreaker". mlb.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  8. Kelly, Matt (May 24, 2018). "MLB Playoff Picture Update". MLB.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  9. Cafardo, Ben (September 30, 2018). "ESPN To Exclusively Televise Both MLB National League Tiebreaker Games On Monday - ESPN MediaZone U.S". Espnmediazone.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  10. "ESPN, ESPN Radio have coverage of Monday's baseball playoffs". Blogs.hudsonvalley.com. September 30, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  11. Newman, Kyle. "Too little, too late performance by Rockies' offense dooms NL West title hopes". Denverpost.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  12. "Braves will play Dodgers in NLDS". Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  13. "MLB - In the end, Los Angeles Dodgers' talent trumps Milwaukee Brewers' moves". Espn.com. October 21, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  14. Ted Berg, USA TODAY Sports. "World Series: Red Sox beat Dodgers to win fourth title in 15 years". Usatoday.com. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  15. "MLB playoffs: Rockies switch gears for wild-card showdown with Cubs". Usatoday.com. July 19, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
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