Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner, center, scores the winning run on a double by Kyle Farmer as San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, left, reaches for an off-center throw while Corey Seager celebrates during the 11th inning of a baseball game, Sunday, July 30, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
By Jeremy Kahn
LOS ANGELES-Kyle Farmer was making his major-league debut, and this will be definitely a game that he will never forget for the rest of his big-league career.
Farmer lashed a two-run double down the right field line off of Alberto Suarez to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a dramatic come-from-behind victory by the final score of 3-2 over the San Francisco Giants before a crowd of 53,495, the fifth sellout of the season at Dodger Stadium.
The rookie is the first player in team history to pick up a walk-off hit in his major-league debut, and he is the third player in team history to have a walk-off hit for his first career hit. The last player to accomplish the feat was Darren Dreifort on May 27,1994 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and prior to Dreifort, it was Greg Brock on September 5, 1982 also against the Pirates (according to STATS, LLC)
The victory gave the Dodgers a series sweep and their 31st come-from-behind win on the season. It is the first series sweep by the Dodgers over the Giants since August 31-September 2, 2015.
It is the eighth straight victory for the Dodgers, and their 14th series sweep of the season, their most series sweeps in a season since 1976.
The Dodgers are now 74-31 on the season, and finish the month of July with a 20-3 record, their highest win percentage (.870) in team history.
On the other hand, this was the eighth time this season that the Giants have been swept and are now 18-38 on the road.
With the victory, the Dodgers are now 34.5 games ahead of the Giants, the largest lead ever in the history of a rivalry that goes all the way back to 1890, when the Dodgers were founded.
Joe Panik gave the Giants the lead in the top of the 11th inning with a single off of eventual winning pitcher Pedro Baez to score Kelby Tomlinson, who singled to lead-off the inning.
With a chance to lengthen the lead, Buster Posey grounded into a double play to end the threat and the inning.
Cory Gearrin pitched the 10th inning, where he allowed a hit before giving way to Suarez, who was unable to hold the lead.
Conor Gillaspie, who hit a three-run home run in the National League Wild Card game to give the San Francisco Giants the win over the New York Mets last October did it again in the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The pinch-hit home run landed in the right field seats just out of the reach of Yaisel Puig in the top of the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie.
It was the second pinch hit home run of the season for Gillaspie and the seventh pinch hit home run of his career.
It looked like the pinch-hit home run by Gillaspie would hold up and the Giants would get the win; however, Sam Dyson was unable to hold onto the lead.
Chase Utley led off the inning with a pinch-hit single, then stole second and scored on a Puig single.
Dyson was able to regroup, and get the next two batters. He then walked Corey Seager intentionally to get to Justin Turner, who singled off the glove of Gillaspie and Brandon Crawford was able to keep it from going into the outfield that would have allowed Puig to score the winning run.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Cody Bellinger flew out to Gorkys Hernandez in left field and the game went into the 10th inning.
It was another huge game for Seager, who went 3-for-4, and finished the series against the Giants going 8-for-12, a .667 average.
Seager ended the month by going 30-for-90 with eight double, six home runs and 14 runs batted in.
Madison Bumgarner, who pitched seven innings, allowing zero runs on five hits, walking just one and striking out seven and was saddled with a tough no-decision.
Hyun-Jin Ryu did not fare in the decision either despite pitching an outstanding game for the Dodgers, as he went also seven innings, and his line was the exact same as Bumgarner’s. Ryu went seven innings, allowing zero runs on five hits, walking just one and striking out seven.
The only difference in their line score was the fact that Bumgarner threw 14 more pitches than Ryu, 99-85.
The Dodgers backed up Ryu by turning five double plays on the evening, including one, where Enrique Hernandez caught a Brandon Crawford fly ball and threw a seed to Austin Barnes to get Joe Panik for the third out of the top of the seventh inning.
Things got interesting in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Hunter Strickland walked three batters, including an intentional walk to Cody Bellinger; however, Strickland was able to get out of the inning, as Barnes flew out to Hunter Pence to end the threat and the inning.
NOTES: Matt Cain takes the ball on Monday night, as the Giants open up the Bay Bridge series against the Oakland A’s at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Sonny Gray will take the mound for the A’s.
The six double plays hit into by the Giants are the most by the team since they hit into seven on May 4, 1969 against the Houston Astros at the Astrodome.
