The late Kobe Bryant was honored at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, which would have been the basketball star’s 42nd birthday.
A power surge lifted the Dodgers past the Colorado Rockies, 11-3, on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
L.A. pounded seven home runs in completing a three-game sweep of the Rockies. Superstar outfielder Mookie Betts blasted two of the home runs and utility player Kiki Hernandez hit a three-run shot. When Hernandez crossed home plate after hitting his home run, he motioned taking a 3-point jump shot in basketball in honor of the late, great Kobe Bryant, who would have turned 42 on Sunday.
“It’s probably one of those that I’ll always remember,” Hernandez said after the game. “We lost Kobe a little too soon.”
With their fourth straight win, the Dodgers improved to a major-league best 22-8. They lead second-place San Diego (18-12) by four games in the National League West.
Meantime in Oakland, the Angels lost to the A’s, 5-4, in 10 innings. Mark Canha’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th provided the game winner for Oakland.
Shohei Ohtani accounted for most of the Angels scoring with a towering three-run homer in the third. Los Angeles manager Joe Madden was ejected in the bottom of the sixth inning by first base umpire Lance Barrett for arguing a check swing that wasn’t ruled a strike. The Angels had a 4-2 lead before the A’s came back to tie it in the sixth.
“We’ve lost that game this year like five times, maybe six, where we’ve had leads and given them up,” Madden told reporters following the contest. “I’m not banging on the pitching because overall we pitched pretty well today, we really did. Give (the A’s) credit for some really good situational hitting.”
The Angels fell to 9-20, 11 games behind first-place Oakland (20-9). Los Angeles begins a series tonight in Houston.
email: gfall@newspress.com
