20-year-old Orioles rookie Basallo hits walk-off homer; Shohei Ohtani’s emergency start can’t prevent Dodgers’ fourth straight loss

The Baltimore Orioles secured rookie Samuel Basallo with an 8-year, $67 million deal (about 450 million RMB), and he responded by hitting his first career walk-off home run today, guiding the team to a 2-1 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a tightly contested game with just five hits per side.

Basallo, who signed the largest pre-arbitration contract ever for a catcher just six days after joining the major leagues at the end of August, proved his worth today. In the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs and a two-strike count, he crushed a 98.7 mph (about 158.84 km/h) fastball from Dodgers closer Tanner Scott over the fence, ending the game. This marked his second career home run and his first walk-off blast.

Due to a back strain sidelining Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani stepped in as the Dodgers’ starting pitcher today. Although Ohtani, who had delayed pitching two days earlier because of physical discomfort, only threw 70 pitches over 3.2 innings before exiting, he still struck out five batters. He recorded 11 pitches exceeding 100 mph, with his third-to-last pitch reaching a season-high 101.5 mph (around 163 km/h), effectively suppressing the Orioles’ offense.

However, Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing appeared to struggle with blocking today. In the bottom of the fifth inning, with two outs and runners on first and second, he failed to stop a low sweeping pitch from Ben Casparius. This third wild pitch allowed Orioles’ second baseman Jackson Holliday, who was attempting to steal third base, to score easily, giving Baltimore the first run of the game.

In the top of the sixth inning, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman quickly responded by hitting a 420-foot (approximately 128.02 meters) home run on the very first pitch, tying the game. Neither team scored afterward until, just one strike away from extra innings, Basallo’s homer secured the home team’s victory.

The Orioles, who swept the San Diego Padres in their previous series, extended their winning streak to four games with today’s victory. Meanwhile, the Dodgers suffered their fourth consecutive loss and have won only one out of their last seven games.