Julio Urias’ 20th win keeps Los Angeles Dodgers alive in NL West race
The first-place San Francisco Giants (106-55) lost to the San Diego Padres earlier Saturday, reducing their lead to one game. The Dodgers (105-56) must beat the Brewers on Sunday and hope the Giants lose again to tie for the title, which L.A. has won the past eight years. That would send the Dodgers and the Giants to a deciding Game 163 in San Francisco on Monday.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, it’s the first time in MLB history that a division has multiple 105-win teams and the first time they were even in the same league. Neither the Dodgers nor the Giants has led by more than five games all season.
Los Angeles won its 14th consecutive home game, tying a 100-year-old franchise record.
Urias (20-3) gave up one hit, struck out seven and walked two over 6⅓ innings in his 32nd start of the regular season, becoming the majors’ only 20-game winner this year and the first Mexican-born pitcher to lead the majors in wins.
The 25-year-old left-hander retired 16 in a row after allowing a double to Eduardo Escobar in the first.
Urias left in the seventh as part of a double switch, handing the ball to manager Dave Roberts and walking off to a standing ovation from the crowd of 49,705.
Kershaw won 21 games in 2014, when he earned the last of his three Cy Young Awards. Urias became the fourth Mexican-born pitcher to win 20 games in the majors, joining former Dodger Fernando Valenzuela and Milwaukee’s Teddy Higuera (both 1986) and Esteban Loaiza of the Chicago White Sox (2003).
Urias hasn’t lost since June 21 at San Diego.
The Dodgers got a three-run homer from Justin Turner in the first, a two-run blast by AJ Pollock in the fourth and a solo shot by Corey Seager in the fifth, giving them 17 homers in their past four games. Max Muncy‘s RBI double in the eighth made it 8-1.
Trea Turner went 2-for-4 to extend his career-high 18-game hitting streak and all but lock up the NL batting title with a .328 average. His closest competition, former Washington Nationals teammate Juan Soto, went 0-for-3 against Boston, dropping his average to .315.
Turner would become the first Dodger to win a batting crown since Tommy Davis claimed back-to-back titles in 1962 and 1963.
Christian Yelich‘s fielder’s choice groundout scored Willy Adames, who walked, to give the NL Central-champion Brewers an early lead. Urias walked Adames again with two outs in the sixth before Escobar struck out swinging to end the inning.
Adames homered off David Price in the ninth for the Brewers’ first hit and first run since the first inning. Tyrone Taylor added an RBI single.
Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes (11-5) made a brief start, pitching just two innings. The right-hander whose name has been in the Cy Young Award conversation gave up three runs and two hits, struck out four and walked one.
The Dodgers tied the franchise record for consecutive home wins set by the Brooklyn Robins. They won 14 in a row at Ebbets Field from April 21 to May 12, 1921. L.A. has won six in a row overall.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.