The Los Angeles Dodgers NL West grabbed on Tuesday with 21 games left to play.
Mocky Pets Make sure they do it in style. The five-time Dodgers Gold Glove winner stole one of the potential front-runners in the Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With no teams left in the seventh inning, defensive back Jake McCarthy skated on Clayton Kershaw Ground down the right line that looked destined for extra bases. Bates had other ideas. Starting from the right center field, he slid his feet first on the warning track, then picked up the ball out of the air inches off the ground.
When he got up from the slider, he stood face-first and shared the moment with the Dodgers. Then he threw the ball back into the field, flashed a smile and indicated Kershaw’s appreciation on the hill.
Bates wasn’t the only Dodgers star to shine on Tuesday. Freddy Freeman launched his 20th home career of the season and maintained his lead over Paul Goldschmidt for the Premier League batting title. Kershaw netted seven rounds of lock-down to claim his eighth win of the season after that Multiple periods on the injured list.
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 98-43, 21 games and away from the second-placed San Diego Padres. It’s not like the Padres – or anyone else in NL – is going to catch them anyway. Now they will play the rest of the season knowing they are the NL West Champions for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
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