The idea that the 2006 Dodgers could come back from a four-run deficit against San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy—even with nine innings to go and even with Peavy having what was for him an off year—tested all credibility.
The idea that the 2006 Dodgers, 15th in a 16-team NL in home runs, could hit four home runs in a week, let alone a game, let alone an inning, let alone a ninth inning with career saves leader Trevor Hoffman in the opposing bullpen, was utterly implausible.
The idea that both events could happen in the same night? We can only answer that question by asking another: How many people sold their souls to swing this one?
Monday, September 18, 2006. The Dodgers had just dropped two games in a row at home to San Diego to fall a half-game behind the Padres in the NL West with two weeks of regular-season play remaining. They had scored three runs in those previous two contests, which made their task all the more daunting once they found themselves down 4–0 in the first inning to Peavy, who in 10 previous starts against the Dodgers had a 1.66 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 65 innings.
But the Dodgers managed to make Peavy look human for once; perhaps he was rattled by an on-field shouting match with Dodger first-base coach Mariano Duncan in the bottom of the first. By the bottom of the third, they had tied the game, thanks to Jeff Kent (who drove in one run and scored another with a pair of doubles) and a small-print August 31 acquisition, Marlon Anderson, who homered in the second inning.
If this all seemed too good to be true to Dodgers fans, it was. Even after getting Peavy out of the game and loading the bases with one out in the sixth inning, the Dodgers couldn’t take the lead. Then, the whole idea of completing the comeback became a farce, an apparition. Against the Dodgers’ top two relievers, Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito, San Diego scored a total of five runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Anderson tripled (his fourth hit) and scored in the bottom of the eighth, but still the Dodgers trailed 9–5 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
On September 18, 2006, the Dodgers hit home runs back to back (to back to back) against Trevor Hoffman and the San Diego Padres to tie a game 9–9 in the bottom of the ninth. Another homer in the 10th by Nomar Garciaparra pushed the Dodgers to an 11–10 victory.
And then, magic. On the second pitch from Padres reliever Jon Adkins, Kent homers over the center-field wall. A strike and two balls later, J.D. Drew crushes one deep into the right-field bleachers. Hoffman enters. Rookie Russell Martin homers on his first offering. And on the very next pitch, unbelievably, Anderson does the same. A 9–9 tie. A 5-for-5 night for Anderson. Back-to-back-to-back-to-back back back back back backs. Four straight home runs—the first time that had happened in the majors in 42 years, and the only time it ever happened in the bottom of the ninth.
And still it wasn’t over. Padres catcher Josh Bard singled in Brian Giles in the top of the 10th inning, threatening to make this comeback of all comebacks go for naught. But as easy as it was to give up on the Dodgers in the first and in the ninth, it was impossible for fans to surrender now.
In the bottom of the 10th, Dodger center fielder Kenny Lofton worked out a leadoff walk from Rudy Seanez. Nomar Garciaparra, who had struck out in the bottom of the eighth with two runners on, worked the count to 3–1.
One swing. Nirvana. “A high fly ball to left field,” calls Vin Scully, “It is a-way out and…gone! The Dodgers win it 11–10! Ha ha ha—unbelievable!” And later: “I forgot to tell you—the Dodgers are in first place.”
It became, from start to finish, the most incredible game in Los Angeles history.
Hitless Wonders
The ball cued off Matt Kemp’s bat like a trick shot from a pool shark, rolling about 50 feet up the first base line before suddenly darting under the glove of Angels pitcher Jered Weaver. Weaver still had the time and opportunity to make the play but was unable to before Kemp reached first base on what was ruled an error.
With the game scoreless in the fifth inning, Kemp took off for second base. The throw from catcher Jeff Mathis sailed into center field for another Angel error, allowing Kemp to head over to third. Blake DeWitt hit a fly ball to fairly deep right field, but even an on-the-money one-hopper from Vladimir Guerrero couldn’t keep Kemp from scoring on the sacrifice fly.
And with that, the Dodgers had all of the runs (one) and all of the hits (zero!) they would need on June 28, 2008, becoming the fifth team since 1900 to win while being no-hit. It was a quintessential game to add to Dodgers lore—and as if to further magnify the accomplishment, on August 25 of the same year, the Dodgers got 13 hits but were shut out by Philadelphia.