Kyle Tucker delivers his biggest Dodgers moment yet to cap furious rally in walk-off win over Marlins

Monday was shaping up to be a forgettable night at Dodger Stadium. Until the Dodgers delivered an unforgettable ending in the bottom of the ninth. Trailing by two runs to the Marlins, the Dodgers mounted a three-run rally on the back of quality at-bats, a big swing from Shohei Ohtani and a walk-off hit from Kyle Tucker, who lined a two-run, two-out single to center to lift the Dodgers to a 5-4 win. Entering the ninth, the Dodgers seemed to be lacking any semblance of life. They hadn’t scored since Teoscar Hernández’s two-run single in the first. They had squandered that lead on Liam Hicks’ three-run homer against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the fifth. They had left the bases loaded in the seventh. They had gone 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, slipping back into the sluggish form that dogged them for most of last week. But then Andy Pages drew a leadoff walk against Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks. Dalton Rushing pinch-hit and did the same in the next at-bat. Miguel Rojas failed to get down a sacrifice bunt, popping it up to the catcher for the first out of the inning, but Ohtani made sure it didn’t matter—ripping a ground-rule double into right field to score one run. Three batters later, Tucker came to the plate with the bases loaded, after the Marlins intentionally walked Freddie Freeman, removed Fairbanks with an injury, and struck out Will Smith from right-hander Tyler Phillips. Phillips got ahead of Tucker with a first-pitch strike, landing a splitter. But Tucker was ready, slashing a line drive into center field for his biggest moment yet in a slow start to the season. What it means: The Dodgers (20-9) are never out of a game. Between the second and sixth innings, they had just one hit. Yamamoto struggled in a five-inning, four-run outing, but their superstar lineup ensures they can always mount a comeback. This was their second walk-off win of the year, thanks to key walks and big swings. Hernández, not known for drawing walks, improved his plate discipline, earning walks and RBIs in the last three days, raising his season average to .245 after a recent slump (.154 over 14 games). Meanwhile, Smith, back in the lineup after missing games with back tightness, continued a slump, going hitless in five at-bats and leaving the bases loaded twice. His batting average is down to .231, and his OPS is .696, the lowest among the club’s regulars. Up next, Ohtani (2-0, 0.38 ERA) will face Janson Junk (1-2, 3.67 ERA) on Tuesday. Manager Dave Roberts indicated Ohtani would likely only pitch in the game, given his five-day rest and the afternoon start on Wednesday’s series finale.