Ohtani falls short of Triple Crown, steals 59th base as Dodgers beat Rockies 2-1 in season finale

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) — Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 and fell short in his bid to become the National League’s first Triple Crown winner since 1937, and stole his 59th base to help the Los Angeles Dodgers rally past the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Sunday in Charlie Blackmon’s final game.
Ohtani finished the regular season leading the NL in homers (54) and RBIs (130). His .310 average trailed San Diego’s Luis Arráez (.314) in the batting race.
The charter member of the 50-50 club, Ohtani swiped his 59th base during the eighth-inning rally. It could’ve been his 60th, but on Saturday night a balk was called as he was on his way to easily stealing a base.
“I didn’t think about the Triple Crown or how close I was to it today,” Ohtani said through a translator. “Today, I was focused on having quality at-bats.”
The last NL Triple Crown winner was St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joe Medwick in 1937. In the AL, Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012.
It was a season that succeeded even manager Dave Roberts’ wildest expectations.
“There were ways early to get him out – crowding him down below, up – but now, his control of the strike zone has just gone to another level,” Roberts said. “And then the base-stealing, obviously. We’ve never seen that type of efficiency.”
Ohtani finished 59 for 63 on stolen-base attempts, including 36 in a row without getting caught. He’s two shy of matching the franchise record by Davey Lopes in 1975.
“The most important part of all this is that I was able to play consistent the whole year,” Ohtani said.
Chris Taylor tied the game in the eighth with his first homer since July 7. Maybe this locked him in: a 12-pitch at-bat in the third that resulted in a walk.
Soon after Taylor’s homer, Austin Barnes and Ohtani both singled. Barnes then swiped third as part of a double steal with Ohtani. Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen appeared to get his cleat caught in the dirt in his delivery and stopped. He was called for a balk to bring home Barnes.
Evan Phillips (5-1) earned the win and Edgardo Henriquez closed out the ninth for his first career save, among 14 Dodgers with saves this season.
The Dodgers wound up a major league-best 98-64, breaking a string of four straight full seasons with 100 or more wins (they went 43-17 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). The NL West champions open the Division Series on Saturday and have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Sam Hilliard launched a 476-foot shot into the right field third deck to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the second, the fourth-longest in the major leagues this season.
Starter Ryan Feltner scattered two hits over six strong innings in a no-decision. Reliever Victor Vodnik (5-4) took the loss.
It was an emotion-filled afternoon for Blackmon, who went 1 or 2 in his 14th and final season — all with the Rockies. The player known for his bushy beard was lifted for a pinch-runner after his single in the third.
“It was really cool to end on a hit,” Blackmon said. “One last time getting to savor it on the way out.”
Blackmon was honored in a pregame ceremony and trotted out to center field all alone to soak in the applause. He leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in triples and second behind Hall of Famer Todd Helton in games played and runs scored.
Plan on keeping the beard?
“Good question,” said Blackmon, who began his career clean shaven.
Colorado (61-101) has back-to-back 100-loss seasons. The team went 59-103 last season. The Rockies saw 2,540,195 fans attend games at Coors Field this season. Last year, the attendance was 2,607,935.
Before the game, Rockies manager Bud Black sidestepped the topic of his expiring contract.
“Thank you for not asking,” Black playfully asked.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: 1B Freddie Freeman continues to receive treatment on his sore right ankle. “I saw video of him walking. He’s ginger when he’s walking,” manager Dave Roberts said. Roberts is optimistic of a return for Freeman and SS Miguel Rojas (torn adductor) to start the playoffs.
UP NEXT:
Dodgers: A few days off before the NLDS begins Saturday.
Rockies: Open spring training at Arizona on Feb. 21.