The Arizona Diamondbacks completed its stunning postseason sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, thanks to a 4-2 victory at Chase Field.
Arizona rounded out the 3-0 victory of the 100-win Dodgers in record-breaking fashion, scoring all four of its runs in the third inning of Game 3.
Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno all hit home runs in the third frame, meaning the Diamondbacks became the first team in postseason history to hit four home runs in one inning.
The Dodgers did get two runs in the seventh inning to make it a more nervy finish, but it wasn’t enough as Arizona held on for a famous victory.
“I’m seeing it, so I guess I have to believe it,” Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick said afterwards. “I’m really happy for our town.
“It’s been a long while for us, as you guys know, and these young guys were overachieving and everyone is sort of saying: ‘Oh, they’re pretty damn good.’
“I don’t know about the national media. They probably don’t quite have it yet. But some of the rest of us are kind of getting it.”
The convincing series victory books Arizona’s first spot in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) since 2007. The team is now just one series victory away from the World Series.
It will face either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Atlanta Braves for a spot in the ‘Fall Classic.’
The victory also means the Diamondbacks have yet to lose in the postseason, after consecutive sweeps over the Milwaukee Brewers and now the Dodgers.
It’s the first time they’ve claimed multiple playoff series in a year since the team won the World Series in 2001.
“I think it’s an understatement to say we were counted out, especially in this series, for sure,” Arizona’s Zac Gallen said.
“And obviously, it’s no secret we’ve had our battles with them, our struggles. But yeah, this one tastes a little bit sweeter, for sure. Especially since I heard some comments that this is just gonna be a home game for them.”
For the Dodgers, it is a disappointing end to what was a positive regular season.
With 100 wins to their name and two of the MLB’s best players on the roster in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, a serious title tilt was expected.
But the sweep loss at the hands of the Diamondbacks means its back to the drawing board for the Dodgers.
“Obviously super frustrating,” Betts said afterwards.
“There’s no real known cause for it. They played better. We didn’t do much. I can’t speak for all of us, but I know for sure I did absolutely nothing to help us win. There’s no words for it.”