After silencing critics and surviving a tense extra-innings confrontation, the Los Angeles Dodgers' rising star delivered a dramatic walk-off single to secure a gritty victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Time and time again, Los Angeles Dodgers star Dalton Rushing seems to be on the opposite end of a viral moment.
Whether it's his miscommunications with Shohei Ohtani or an interaction with the opposition, there's no shortage of Rushing clips to go around this season.
Ultimately, all of that was put to rest after he guided the Dodgers to their first extra-innings win of the season. With the win, LA sits at 60-32, an unbelievable record to have with a few games to go before the All-Star break.
After not going to extras for the first 91 games, the Dodgers needed 11 innings to take down the Colorado Rockies. Rushing's single provided a dramatic, walk-off win, one that came not too long after he once again found himself in a pickle.
10th Inning Drama
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke about Rushing's interaction with Cole Carrigg in the 10th inning, "I don’t know. I think what happened is Carrigg said something aloud not directed at Rushing and Rushing thought it was something at him. After, we cleared the air," according to Dodgers Nation.
Rushing chimed in, "I didn't mean any harm by the tag or the way I reacted to the ball. Made sure he knew that. Told him I was just reacting to the baseball, and yeah. I don't expect it to go any further," according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.
Their interaction in the 10th inning clearly didn't rattle Rushing. If anything, it gave him that extra bit of motivation he needed.
Rushing Walks it Off
The score was tied, 6-6, heading into extras. Each team scored one run in the 10th, but the Dodgers pitching staff kept the score at 7-7 going into the 11th. From there, Rushing needed just three pitches in his at-bat to drive in the winning run.
"The scrutiny, that was one thing in the sense, early parts we’ve nipped that. Outside of that, he’s been playing good baseball," Roberts said of Rushing.
He continued, "He [Rushing] had a great night. He just willed himself to make something happen. He was finding his way to put the ball in play.”
"The more you play, the less you think about the 0-4 nights," Rushing added. "You understand it, you turn to tomorrow."
Rushing was one of three Dodgers' to finish with a trio of hits in this contest. He went 3-for-5 on the night, providing a pair of runs and, of course, the game's most important RBI.
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