Dodgers' shortstop Jimmy Rollins prides himself on being a guy that always comes up with the big hit. He did it again in his first game against his former team, knocking in the go-ahead runs in the seventh inning as Los Angeles rallied to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-7 in the opening game of a four-game set.
The Monday marathon game lasted 4 hours and 13 minutes, 367 pitches, 17 runs on 26 hits and 10 pitchers used in the game. It was the longest game in the National League, missing the MLB mark by three minutes, and was the longest 9-inning game in Philadelphia Phillies history.
"To me, those are the kinds of games that people don't want to come to," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of the pace of play. "The pace was bad tonight. Using a lot of pitchers, throwing a lot of pitches."
Rollins came up with runners on second and third and two-outs against Jeanmar Gomez with the game deadlocked at 7-7. Rollins (normally a pull hitter), found a gap in left field that scored the winning runs.
"When you get a hit like that it feels good no matter who you're playing," Rollins said of the at-bat. "If you don't, it's 'damn it.' I definitely don't want to have a 'damn it," moment against my former team."
Rollins played the first 15 years of his career with Philadelphia before being traded away last December. Rollins had some memorable moments in red, as he was a three-time All-Star, the NL MVP in 2007, and a World Series Champion with the Phillies in 2008.
Rollins met with his former teammates before the game, exchanging laughs and jokes before taking the field. Rollins batted ninth in the lineup for Los Angeles for the first time in his career, and seemed to relish the role in the spot usually designated for the starting pitcher.
"It was different," Rollins said of hitting in the nine-hole. "I liked it. I had a position player behind me, and the guy behind me has 20 home runs. They're going to pitch to you, so you can be more selective and more patient. I was able to zone in on the area I wanted to hit the ball and I was able to stay more disciplined."
The man batting behind him was rookie Joc Pederson who along with teammates Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez and Yasmian Grandal were announced as All-Stars before the game. With the selection, Pederson becomes the first Dodgers rookie since Hideo Nomo in 1995 to make the All-Star Game.
Gonzalez and Grandal celebrated their selections with home runs. Each player hit a first-pitch homer into the right field pavilion to help their team. Gonzalez opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning, his fourth consecutive game with a long ball at home (with an at-bat). Grandal tied the game with his three-run blast in the fifth.
Freddy Galvis, Ryan Howard, and Odubel Herrera all hit home runs for Philadelphia as the see-saw battle of the bats was one for the ages.
The monumental game featured three ties, and six lead changes as the Dodgers were forced to use a patchwork pitching corps. Reliever Yimi Garcia made his first start since 2011 in the minor leagues after the scheduled starter, Carlos Frias, was placed on the 15-day DL on Sunday.
Garcia pitched two innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the second. Eric Surkamp, who was recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Oklahoma City, made his Dodgers debut when he entered the game in the top of the third inning.
It was a disastrous debut however for Surkamp as who served up two homers, allowing four runs on four hits in 3.1 innings. Surkamp also hit two batters before leaving the game with one-out in the sixth inning.
Ironically, in a game that featured nearly 400 pitches thrown, it was the man who threw the least amount of pitches who picked up the win. J.P. Howell (4-1) threw six pitches out of the pen, striking out Jeff Francoeur with two runners on base in the seventh inning.
Gomez (0-2) took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits in 1.2 innings of work. His 13.2-inning scoreless streak entering the game was snapped as he surrendered his first runs since June 9th.
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Howie Kendrick went 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored as he was a home run shy of the cycle. It's the second time in as many weeks that Kendrick was one hit shy of the cycle.
Kendrick became the first Los Angeles Dodger since Andre Ethier to have four, four-hit games on the season.
Game Notes:
It was Maury Wills bobblehead night at the stadium as the former Dodgers shortstop 1962 NL MVP threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.
The Philadelphia Phillies have now lost 7 of their last 8 games and fall to an MLB worst 10-32 on the road this season.
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