Dalton Rushing makes it two walk-off hits this season

Dalton Rushing delivered a walk-off single in the 11th inning on Monday. (Gary Vasquez/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Cary Osborne

Forgive the cliché, but there’s often talk around here about things ending up perfectly scripted.

It happened again.

The Dodgers handed out a bobblehead on Monday night at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium celebrating Freddie Freeman’s 18th-inning, walk-off home run from Game 3 of the 2025 World Series.

True to script, the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies with a walk-off hit — a Dalton Rushing single in the 11th inning to give the Dodgers an 8–7 win.

The Dodger catcher was also responsible for the last Dodger walk-off win — a single on June 19 against the Orioles.

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“He had a great night,” said manager Dave Roberts. “I think he just willed himself to make something happen. He’s been having good at-bats and he’s already had a walk-off at home. I think he was just going to find a way to put the ball in play and make something happen.”

The Dodgers have been without their three-time All-Star catcher Will Smith since June 6 due to a neck injury. Rushing, the Dodgers’ top prospect more than a year ago, didn’t get rolling right away after Smith was sidelined, but has certainly picked it up of late.

He went 3-for-5 on Monday, and over his last nine games is 12-for-29 with five extra-base hits and eight RBI.

The road to the walk-off was not ideal. The Dodgers led 6–1 after four innings and 6–3 heading to the top of the ninth before the Rockies tied things with three runs off reliever Tanner Scott.

It forced the first Dodger extra-inning game of the season — snapping their franchise record of 91 games to begin the season without one.

After trading a run each in the 10th inning, the Dodgers received a shutdown inning from reliever Edgardo Henriquez, who initiated a double play to end the frame and set up Rushing’s heroics.

“The PFP (pitcher-fielding-practice) to get the double play was huge,” Roberts said. “His calm in big spots, you’re starting to see.”

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The Dodgers are now 21–11 against NL West teams.

They have a 14-game lead in the West on the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks, who they’ll see for three games this weekend. Arizona pummeled San Diego 8–0 on Monday. The Padres now trail the Dodgers by 15 games.

This was the Dodgers’ 60th win of the season — and they reached the number in 92 games.

They are the first team in the Majors to 60 wins.

The Dodgers beat up on Rockies starter Kyle Freeland early. He had a 5.04 ERA in 27 career starts against the Dodgers coming into the game.

Shohei Ohtani drove in four runs against him — a third-inning, two-run home run and a fourth-inning, two-run single.

It was Ohtani’s 299th career home run and team-leading 19th of the season.

Max Muncy drove in a run with a single in the Dodger four-run fourth. Miguel Rojas contributed with a sacrifice-fly RBI to give the Dodgers the early 6–1 lead.