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Dodgers Rookie, Kyle Farmer, Records Walk-Off Hit Against Rival Giants in First Career At-Bat

Rookie Kyle Farmer delivered a two-run, walk-off double in his first ever Major League at-bat, and the Los Angeles Dodgers stunned the San Francisco Giants, 3-2, for their ninth walk-off win of the season on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.

The drama-filled Dodgers did it again. 

Rookie Kyle Farmer delivered a two-run, walk-off double in his first ever Major League at-bat, and the Los Angeles Dodgers stunned the San Francisco Giants, 3-2, for their ninth walk-off win of the season on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.

With the Dodgers trailing, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the 11th ining, Corey Seager started off the comeback with a double down the right field line. 

One batter later, Justin Turner was intentionally walked, leaving Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts with runners on first and second base with the pitcher's spot coming up. 

Roberts, only had one position player left on his bench, rookie Kyle Farmer, who was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, but had yet to make an appearance at the Major League level. 

"It was pretty electric," Roberts said after the game. "He was our last guy and everyone in the dugout was pulling for him. That was a very professional at-bat for a guy taking his first in the majors."

Farmer made his MLB debut with his first ever big league at-bat in one of the most pressure-packed situations even a seasoned veteran has ever been in. 

"I was thinking 'just get a good pitch to hit,'" Farmer said of the moment he stepped in the batter's box. "Watching these guys hit for the past three games, I've learned a lot. I was just trying to put a good swing on it and put something in the air and down the line. I did. I got lucky. 

But, this is the 2017 Dodgers, a team that has recorded an MLB-best nine-walk off victories this season, and they've come from eight different players, so naturally, destiny was on Farmer's side. 

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Farmer worked a full count, and then collected the biggest hit of the game when he roped a pitch down the right field line that scored Seager and Turner as the Dodgers once again rallied for their 31st comeback victory of the season. 

"It was pretty surreal," Farmer said after the game. "Just being my first at-bat and being able to help this team win and beat the Giants, it's a pretty cool feeling."

Before the drama packed final inning, Joe Panik, knocked in the go-ahead run for the Giants with an RBI single in the top of the 11th that gave the Giants a 2-1 lead.

Panik had a season-high three hits in the game, and is batting .358 with 13 runs, four doubles, one triple, four home runs and 11 RBI in his last 20 games on the road.

Early in the game, the Dodgers and Giants were deadlocked in a good old fashioned pitcher's duel between left-handers Hyun-Jin Ryu and Madison Bumgarner.

Bumgarner did not factor in the decision as he scattered just five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in seven shutout innings for San Francisco.

"It's always fun to pitch here in this environment," Bumgarner said of his start. "I felt good. These are fun games."

Sunday was easily Bumgarner's best performance of the season, and his first scoreless appearance since he was activated off the disabled list on July 15.

"I think this was his best start," Giants' manager Bruce Bochy said of Bumgarner. "He was really good. Everything was crisp. Good focus, good tempo."

Ryu also had his strongest outing of the season, but he did not factor in the decision despite matching Madison pitch-for-pitch. Ryu allowed just five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in seven shutout innings of his own for Los Angeles.

"That was as dominating as he’s been,’’ Roberts said of Ryu. "Made great pitches, got big outs."

The Korean southpaw has been hit or miss against the rival Giants over the course of his career, going 4-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 10 total starts.

Conor Gillaspie broke the scoreless tie when he sent an 0-2 fastball from Josh Fields into the short porch in right field for just his second long ball of the season.

Both homers this year for Gillaspie have come on pinch-hit appearances as the Nebraska native recorded his seventh career pinch-hit home run.

San Francisco led 1-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth before Chase Utley nearly single-handedly tied the game for the Dodgers.

The 38-year-old Utley led off the inning with a chopper to third base that he just beat out for an infield single.

One pitch later, he stole second, and then scored on an RBI single up the middle by Yasiel Puig.

"I saw he went for the steal and he had a good jump, so I didn't swing at the first pitch," said Puig of that at-bat." Then I kept working the at-bat. I was just trying to get the ball in play and I got that one and was able to produce that run."

The stolen base was Utley's 150th of his career, and he currently leads all active players in baseball with an 87.7 percent success rate on stolen base attempts. 

Right-hander Sam Dyson, blew the save for San Francisco, his second blown save of the season, and first with the Giants. 

The back-and-forth battle continued in the 11th inning as Luis Avilan surrendered the go-ahead single to Panik before the Dodgers answered with two runs of their own off Albert Suarez. 

"This is unbelievable how it's gone for these guys," said Bochy of his team. "They're playing hard and doing a lot of good things. To lose like this, a guy gets his first Major League hit, right down the line like that. Everything is going right for them and it's just the opposite for us."

Farmer's walk-off hit against Suarez was the first by a Dodger for their first career hit, since pitcher Darren Dreifort did it on May 27, 1994 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Acoording to Stats LLC., the last Dodgers position player to have their first career hit be a walk-off was Greg Brock on September 5, 1982 against the Pirates. 

Neither Dreifort or Brock did it in their MLB debut however, an honor solely bestowed upon Farmer, who is the first in franchise history to record a walk-off hit in their first career plate appearance.

"I told Kiké and Joc that he [Farmer] was going to win it, that I had seen this movie before," Puig said of Farmer's historic hit. "They didn't believe me. They told me I must have seen too many cartoon movies." 

The victory gave the Dodgers their MLB-best 14th sweep of the season, one shy of the team record of 15 sweeps set in 1976. 

Los Angeles extended their MLB-record to 52 consecutive victories when leading at any point, and have won eight in a row overall. 

More importantly, the sweep gives the Dodgers a 7-6 lead over the rival Giants in head-to-head games this season. 

"This was a great ball game," added Bochy. "It's a shame this one got away. That's the way it's going for these guys. They've had so many of these, especially here at home. The baseball gods have been tough on us here."

Not to be outdone, the Dodgers defense turned a franchise record six double plays in the game. 

The Dodgers also set a franchise record for the highest winning percentage in a single month as the Boys in Blue finished 20-3 (.870) in the month of July. 

Up Next:

The Dodgers will be off on Monday as they travel to Atlanta for a three-game series in the South starting on Tuesday at 4:35PM PST. In the meantime, all eyes will be on the MLB trade deadline, which ends at 1:00PM PST.

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