The Los Angeles Dodgers held a comfortable 3-1 lead against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night before a chaotic eighth inning turned the game on its head.
Dodgers reliever Will Klein allowed two runners on base with one out in the top of the eighth inning. Rockies’ Tyler Freeman grounded Klein’s fastball to Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas, deputising for Mookie Betts.
However, Rojas, who is signed to a $5.5 million contract, squandered the inning-ending double-play as the ball bounced off the heel of his mitt, allowing the Rockies to make it 3-2 with two runners on base. The veteran infielder was also at fault when he failed to cover third for Freeman.
Rojas failed to squeeze second baseman Alex Freeland’s low throw and the ball ended up in the Dodgers dugout. Freeman was allowed home plate to make it 3-3. Following the game, Rojas admitted his mistake that proved to the turning point of the game.
“Physical errors happen, and I’m okay with that, I’m not perfect,” Rojas said. “But mental errors are the ones that are kind of disappointing. Like, I should have been on third base … That’s the one that I kind of like kick myself for.”
The Rockies scored another unearned run in the eighth to take a 4-3 lead. The Dodgers failed to respond and Colorado sealed a thrilling comeback win.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reflects on “dependable” Miguel Rojas’ costly mistake
Although Miguel Rojas’ mistake led to a collapse in the eighth inning, the Dodgers had the chance to respond in the ninth when they had two runners on base with one out.
However, Rockies reliever Jordan Romano escaped the jam to earn a thrilling win for Colorado. Following the loss, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reflects on Rojas’ mistake.
“It doesn’t happen very often that he doesn’t make a play,” Roberts said. “So when it happens, you know, we don’t like it, doesn’t feel good, but you know that player, I give him a lot of grace, because he is very dependable.”
The Dodgers took an early lead after Shohei Ohtani’s 300th career home run, making him the first Japanese-born player to reach that mark.
Edited by Chaitanya Prakash
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