Shohei Ohtani delivered his second major league walk-off hit with a two-out single in the 10th inning, securing a 3-2 victory for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
Andy Pages hit an early two-run homer for the Dodgers, who have won 20 of their last 26 games after taking three of four from Cincinnati.
Pinch-hitter Will Smith drew a one-out walk in the 10th from Alexis DÃaz (1-3), who then got Mookie Betts to fly out. Ohtani followed with a single to right, scoring Jason Heyward and igniting a loud celebration from the packed crowd at Dodger Stadium. This marked Ohtani’s second career walk-off hit, his first being an 11th-inning single for the Los Angeles Angels in a 6-5 win over Houston on September 4, 2020.
Stuart Fairchild had two hits for the Reds, who have now lost 15 of their last 18 games and seven consecutive series.
Anthony Banda (1-0) secured the win for the Dodgers by getting three straight outs in the 10th during his debut with the team, having been acquired from Cleveland on Friday. This was Banda’s first win since May 28, 2022, with Pittsburgh. Since then, he has pitched for the Blue Jays, Yankees, Nationals, and Dodgers, and played in Cleveland’s minor league system.
Cincinnati reliever Emilio Pagán left abruptly with two outs in the ninth and a 2-1 count on Heyward, possibly due to a shoulder injury after throwing three consecutive fastballs to Heyward. DÃaz struck out Heyward to force extra innings.
Hunter Greene struck out eight while allowing four hits into the seventh inning for Cincinnati in his second career start in his hometown. The hard-throwing right-hander, who received youth coaching at Compton’s Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy and played high school ball in Sherman Oaks, was the second overall pick by the Reds in 2017.
Landon Knack allowed one run on three hits over 4 2/3 innings for the Dodgers in his fourth major league appearance. Knack was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City for this spot start, apparently to give Yoshinobu Yamamoto a full week of rest.
Freddie Freeman singled in the fourth before Pages hit his fifth homer of the rookie season with a shot to the short porch down the left-field line off a poor slider.
Cincinnati ended a 16-inning scoreless streak at Chavez Ravine with back-to-back doubles in the fifth by Fairchild and Santiago Espinal, whose catchable drive fooled Teoscar Hernández.
The Reds tied it in the seventh when pinch-hitter Spencer Steer, a Long Beach native in an 0-for-16 slump, drew a bases-loaded walk on nine pitches from Alex Vesia, who then escaped the jam.
**TRAINER’S ROOM**
**Reds:** LHP Brandon Williamson (shoulder) pitched 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball for Triple-A Louisville in his second rehab start. LHP Alex Young (lower back) made his eighth rehab appearance for Louisville on Sunday, pitching a scoreless inning.
**Dodgers:** RHP Connor Brogdon (right plantar fasciitis) was transferred to the 60-day injured list as part of the transactions necessary to promote Knack. Brogdon has been out since April 10. Only the Tampa Bay Rays have had more collective days on the injured list this season than the Dodgers.
**UP NEXT**
**Reds:** Andrew Abbott (2-4, 3.06 ERA) takes the mound Tuesday at home to begin a series against San Diego.
**Dodgers:** Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4-1, 3.21 ERA) takes the mound Monday to open a three-game home series against Arizona.
