Max Muncy's grand slam and 6 RBIs powered the Dodgers to an 8-1 win over the Rockies on June 26. Yoshinobu Yamamoto dominated in the 50th season victory.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
The thin air of Coors Field is supposed to help the home team, but on Thursday night, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers who sucked all the oxygen out of the stadium. Powered by a thunderous grand slam from Max Muncy and another masterful outing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers cruised to an 8-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies, securing their 50th win of the season and tightening their grip on the NL West.
Max Muncy's sixth-inning grand slam wasn't just his 12th homer of the season; it was the knockout blow in a six-RBI performance.
With the Dodgers holding a slim lead, Max Muncy stepped to the plate in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and one thing on his mind: damage. He delivered in the biggest way possible, launching a towering grand slam that silenced the Colorado crowd and blew the game wide open. The blast gave the Dodgers a commanding 7-1 lead. Muncy wasn't done, finishing the night with a staggering six RBIs, single-handedly outscoring the entire Rockies team and reminding everyone of the game-changing power he brings to the middle of the order.
Before the offense exploded, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was putting on a pitching clinic. For five innings, he was nearly untouchable, carving through the Rockies lineup with surgical precision. He allowed just a single hit while striking out five and walking two, lowering his already impressive ERA. His night was cut short prematurely by a rain delay, but not before he proved once again why he's a true anchor in this rotation. The five shutout frames were more than enough to set the tone for the evening.
Following the rain delay, the Dodgers' bullpen picked up right where Yamamoto left off. Michael Kopech and Will Klein combined to shut the door, ensuring the Rockies never sniffed a comeback. Klein was particularly electric in the final two frames. He struck out the side in the eighth inning with his high-velocity fastball and, despite allowing two harmless singles in the ninth, closed out the game with ease. It was a showcase of the depth and power arms the Dodgers possess in relief.
The game even featured a moment of pure baseball absurdity that quickly went viral. In the seventh inning, a hard-hit grounder from Michael Toglia found a hole in Freddie Freeman's glove—literally. The ball ripped right through the leather webbing, a bizarre play that had players and fans alike shaking their heads in disbelief. While it didn't impact the outcome, it provided a memorable, 'you had to see it to believe it' highlight.
While Muncy stole the headlines, Michael Conforto continued his own power surge. He added an insurance run with a solo homer in the eighth, his sixth of the season. It marked the second consecutive game Conforto has gone deep, a welcome sign of life from the veteran outfielder whose bat seems to be heating up at the perfect time.
With their 50th win in the books and a comfortable 5.5-game lead in the division, the Dodgers are firing on all cylinders. The focus now shifts to the series finale, which is anything but just another game. All eyes will be on the mound as Clayton Kershaw takes the ball, needing just a handful of strikeouts to reach the legendary 3,000-K milestone. It's a chance for history and another series win as the Dodgers look to close out the road trip in style.
