Los Angeles Dodger Will Smith (16) reaches home to the entire Dodgers bench to greet him after hitting a three run in the bottom of the ninth inning at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles against the San Francisco Giants on Tue Jul 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jeremy Kahn

Will Smith came off the bench to pinch-hit for former San Francisco Giants reliever Jimmy Sherfy, and he ended it with one swing of the bat.

Smith hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers to a come-from-behind 8-6 victory over the Giants at Dodger Stadium.

Tyler Rogers came onto get the save for former Dodgers starter Alex Wood, but Rogers walked both Chris Taylor and Matt Beaty and then Smith ended it with one swing of the bat.

The Dodgers took an early 1-0 lead, as nemesis Max Muncy singled off of Wood in the bottom of the first inning to score Taylor.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the lead would not last long, as Alex Dickerson hit a two-run home run in the top of the second inning to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.

It was the ninth home run of the season for Dickerson, and then an inning later, LaMonte Wade, Jr., also hit his ninth home run to extend the Giants lead up to 3-1.

Thairo Estrada hit a solo home run and then Mike Yastrzemski added a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning, as the Giants broke the game wide open after they took a 6-1 and it looked Like the Giants were on their way to another victory and extending their lead in the National League West up to three games.

Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell the reigning World Champions that the game was lost, as Taylor hit the first of his two home runs that cut the Dodgers deficit down to 6-2 against their longtime rivals.

Austin Barnes then cut the Giants in half in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he doubled to left field that scored the speedy Cody Bellinger.

Taylor hit a two-run home run later in the inning that got the Dodgers within one run, and that was the score when Smith hit his walk-off home run that gave the Dodgers a dramatic win over the leaders in the NL West.

Wood, who was in line for the win, as he went the required five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out seven ended up with a no-decision.

John Brebbia gave up a two-run home run to Taylor, as he went 0.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walking zero and striking out two.

The duo of Jarlin Garcia and Jake McGee pitched a combined 2.1 innings, allowing a hit and a striking out and held the lead for Rogers, who walked two and then gave up the game-winning three-run homer to Smith and the series was even after two games with two to go.

Darien Nunez started for the Dodgers, and lasted just two innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walking one and striking out two before giving way to Josiah Gray.

In his major-league debut, Gray pitched four strong innings, allowing four runs on four hits, walking one and striking out seven.

Garrett Cleavinger and Joe Kelly got the Dodgers thru the seventh and eighth innings unscathed, as they struck out three before Dave Roberts gave the ball to Sherfy, who struck out two in the top of the ninth and picked up his second win of the season when Smith launched that three-run home run into the Los Angeles night that gave the reigning World Champions a huge victory.

NOTES: With three more home runs on the night, the Giants have now hit 141 home runs on the season, tying them with the Toronto Blue Jays for the most home runs in the major leagues.

When the Giants and the Dodgers each went back-to-back in the top of the first inning on Monday night, it was the first time in the history of the rivalry that both went back-to-back in the first inning. According to STATS, LLC, it is only the second time in major league history that two teams hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, and the last time it happened was on July 29, 2004, when the Oakland As and the Texas Rangers accomplished the feat at the Ballpark in Arlington.

UP NEXT: Logan Webb looks for his fifth win of the season on Wednesday night, as Julio Urias goes for his 13th win of the season for the Dodgers.