LOS ANGELES -- Friday marked 20 years to the day since the “4+1” game, one of the greatest comebacks in Dodgers history.
It went a little something like this. In the midst of a heated divisional race, the Dodgers were down by four runs to the National League West-rival Padres in the bottom of the ninth. Jeff Kent led off with a homer. J.D. Drew made it back-to-back long balls. Russell Martin went yard to make it a one-run game. Then Marlon Anderson added a blast of his own to tie things up.
The game went to extras, with the Padres tacking on a run in the top of the 10th … only for Nomar Garciaparra to respond with a two-run blast in the bottom of the frame to give L.A. a most improbable come-from-behind win.
How did the 2026 Dodgers celebrate the occasion? By hitting a leadoff homer -- and then four homers in the eighth inning -- en route to an 8-2 win over the Giants.
Oh, and they did it all without four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani in the lineup.
“It's a high-floor talent level,” manager Dave Roberts said of his offense. “I just like the way we're taking better team at-bats, and making up for not having Shohei in there. Obviously we're a better team with him, but it is nice to see that there hasn't been a dropoff with him not in the lineup.”
With the victory, the Dodgers (94-60) remained four games ahead of the Braves (90-64) for second-best record in the National League, keeping them in line for a first-round postseason bye with eight games left to play. They stayed two games back of the Brewers (96-58) for best record in the NL (and MLB). If L.A. doesn’t catch Milwaukee in the standings, it will need to finish at least one win better than Atlanta, which holds the tiebreaker between the two teams by virtue of winning the season series.
Now, about those homers.
On the second pitch he saw, Mookie Betts launched the 53rd leadoff home run of his career and his 33rd with the Dodgers. With Ohtani out, Betts finds himself getting opportunities in the leadoff spot he might not otherwise have.
“I'll hit wherever,” said Betts. “But going back up there, it's fun. It kind of feels like home. But there's a guy that is named Shohei that needs to be up there to get us going.”
Betts got off to a slow start this season, hindered in part by a month on the IL with a right oblique strain. But if there’s any question whether he’s feeling better in the batter’s box, his recent performance indicates he’s getting ready to go just ahead of the games that matter most. In 15 September contests, he’s hit .356 with a 1.186 OPS. He’s knocked six homers, his most in a single calendar month this season.
That sixth September homer came in the bottom of the eighth. But first, Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker led off the bottom of the frame with consecutive big flies. After Josue De Paula worked a two-out walk, Betts delivered a two-run shot, giving him 22 on the season. Will Smith followed up with one more round-tripper. It marked the first time the Dodgers hit a pair of back-to-back home runs in a single inning since Aug. 22, 2016, in Cincinnati.
It was also a sign of an offense that’s as in sync as it’s been all season. Besides Betts, Tucker, who hasn’t put up numbers in line with his All-Star career in his first season with the Dodgers, also appears to have turned a corner as of late. Through August, Tucker batted .228 with a .683 OPS. In 17 games this month, he’s hitting .286 with a 1.087 OPS -- and, like Betts, has hit six homers.
“I think his swing path is better,” said Roberts. “… The path is good, so when he does get beat, he has a way to still get a hit. He can ride out breaking balls, which he wasn't doing early in the season, and then velocity, he's handling. So I think that he's just in a really good spot.”
Of course, Friday’s theatrics weren’t quite as dramatic as what happened two decades ago. The Dodgers, who’ve already clinched the NL West title, were already leading in the game, and they ended up winning comfortably. But it still felt like a fitting tribute to one of the most unforgettable moments in franchise history.