LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts looked like the hitter the Dodgers have been waiting to see all season.
With the game hanging in the balance Wednesday night at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium, Betts delivered the defining swing of the evening, lining a ninth-pitch RBI single in the eighth inning to lift the Dodgers to a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies and secure the series win.
Mookie for the lead! pic.twitter.com/wWrPTZLjwp
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 9, 2026
It wasn’t just another base hit. It was the kind of at-bat that reminds everyone why Betts remains one of baseball’s premier big-game performers.
After fouling off three different pitches against Rockies reliever Antonio Senzatela, Betts refused to give in. With Tommy Edman perched at third and Freddie Freeman at first, he finally shot a line drive back through the middle to score Edman for the go-ahead run. It marked Betts’ 20th RBI with runners in scoring position this season.
“It feels great helping the boys win. That’s really how it is. We play to win,” Betts said afterward. “Coming through in a big moment, it’s like when you’re a kid playing in the backyard.”
The smile that followed around the bases said just as much.
For a player whose first half has featured stretches of inconsistency, Wednesday’s swing was another sign that Betts is rediscovering both his rhythm and confidence.
“He’s got some confidence again. He feels good physically,” Dave Roberts said. “I’m happy with what he’s done over the last month.”
The Dodgers needed every bit of it.
The Dodgers appeared poised for a comfortable night after scoring three runs in the opening inning against Rockies rookie Gabriel Hughes, who was making his major league debut.
The Dodgers capitalized on Hughes’ early nerves when they loaded the bases before scoring the game’s first run on a wild throw. Kyle Tucker followed with a two-run single to left, bringing home Betts and Freddie Freeman for a quick 3-0 advantage.
Three-spot to start the game! pic.twitter.com/G2Tkm9MfQB
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 9, 2026
But Hughes settled in impressively after the rocky beginning.
The right-hander retired the Dodgers repeatedly over the next five innings, allowing just one additional hit until Max Muncy’s two-out double in the sixth. Hughes finished an encouraging debut with six innings, allowing four hits, three earned runs, two walks and striking out seven on 94 pitches.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Colorado Rockies pitcher Gabriel Hughes (43) pitches in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
While Hughes found his footing, Roki Sasaki continued his own developmental journey.
Coming off a difficult outing against the Padres in which he surrendered six runs over three innings, Sasaki responded with one of his more efficient starts of the season despite early trouble.
Kyle Karros put the Rockies on the board with a solo home run in the second before Edouard Julien added another solo shot later in the inning to trim the Dodgers’ lead to 3-2. In the third, Mickey Moniak tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
Instead of unraveling, Sasaki settled.
Sasaki escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the fourth, highlighted his athleticism with a sharp snag on a comebacker in the fifth, and completed six innings on just 78 pitches.
His final line, six innings, four hits, three runs, one walk and five strikeouts, reflected another step forward, even if the young right-hander wasn’t entirely satisfied.
“I feel like I need to work on off-speed pitches, especially,” Sasaki said. “If I had better stuff right there, I think I would be able to pitch a little easier.”
Asked to evaluate his first half of the season, Sasaki remained candid.
“When you look at the numbers, I’m not satisfied with that, but I was able to stay in the rotation, and overall I’m kind of happy with it.”
Roberts offered a similar assessment.
“Inconsistent, room for growth,” Roberts said. “He’s continuing to get better and to learn himself.”
The bullpen, meanwhile, delivered perhaps its biggest response of the week.
After enduring two difficult games, Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez combined to escape a bases-loaded threat in the eighth without allowing a run. Henriquez recorded the inning’s biggest out, further strengthening his growing reputation as one of the Dodgers’ most trusted young relievers.
“He’s been great,” Roberts said. “Coming from facing Vladimir Guerrero in the World Series to now putting him in a bases loaded situation, a lot of different leverage spots, he’s come a long way.”
That escape proved just as important as Betts’ hit moments later.
Tanner Scott handled the ninth inning to earn the save and complete the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory.
For one night, though, the lasting image belonged to Betts. Nine pitches. Three two-strike foul balls. One line drive through the middle.
It was the kind of moment that championship clubs often build around, and perhaps another indication that the Dodgers’ former MVP is beginning to resemble himself again at exactly the right time.
The Dodgers will enjoy an off day Thursday before opening their final home series before the All-Star break on Friday, when Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to make his final start before the midsummer classic.
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