Dodgers hitters go full game without striking out for first time in 18 years (Apr 29th report, still I felt worth posting)
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By Fabian Ardaya
Apr 29, 2024
PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers took 44 turns at the plate on Monday night and etched an oddity into history. They collected 10 hits and drew eight walks en route to their 8-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Collectively, they strained a worn Diamondbacks pitching staff and flexed the type of might their star-studded lineup would portend.
They also never struck out.
“Is that what we did?” Freddie Freeman remarked when told of their feat.
“I’d say that’s very difficult. In today’s game?”
Kiké Hernández might’ve been the first person on the field to notice. The Dodgers had already completed their final turn at bat when he looked out to Andy Pages in the outfield and noticed something. The strikeout meter hanging above right field at Chase Field didn’t go off once.
“I was like, ‘What the f—? No Ks?’” Kiké said. He brought up the oddity in the outfield after the Dodgers recorded the final out of the night. Then he found hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc to confirm it was true. Indeed, they’d made it out, punchout-free.
“That’s pretty f—ing cool,” Kiké said.
The realization didn’t trickle through much of the rest of the Dodgers clubhouse until after the feat was complete. Hearing of what his club had just done, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ eyes widened. Then his face creased into a smile.
“A lot of competitive at-bats,” Roberts said.
It marked the first time the Dodgers had played a game without striking out in 18 years, since a 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in 2006.
“What, 20 years ago?” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “That’s crazy.”
That, of course, resembled much of a different sport. Baseball’s league-wide strikeout rate this year sat at 22.4 percent through Monday’s action. In 2006, it was just 16.8 percent.
“In today’s game?” Max Muncy said. “It’s really freaking hard.”
The 44 batters the Dodgers sent to the plate without striking out marked the most batters to come to the plate in a game where a team didn’t strike out since July 28, 2017, when Cleveland had 46 batters not strike out in a 9-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Diamondbacks pitchers Tommy Henry, Andrew Saalfrank, Scott McGough, Logan Allen and Justin Martinez combined to give the franchise their third-ever game in which they never struck out an opposing batter.
They certainly came close. Combined the Dodgers saw 17 different two-strike counts, yet refused to be put away. Three times, they still managed to record a hit. Three different runs came in on at-bats that included two-strike counts, including Teoscar Hernández’s ringing two-run double that bounced into the pool area of this 28-year-old ballpark.
“I tried to put the ball in play and get at least one (run in),” Teoscar said of his approach, “and I got the double.”
For a Dodgers club that, a week ago, led the sport in strikeouts, it’s continued a strong turnaround. Their lineup has churned out runs and hits, including double-digit knocks in four of their last six games. The bottom of their order has started to find water.
“There’s got to be a definitive two-strike approach,” Roberts said. “And you’ve got to have some bat to ball. And you’ve got to value that. And our guys do. They’re showing it. And it’s good to see some results too.”
For at least one night, the Dodgers didn’t go down swinging. Their lineup flexed some depth, churning out production from top to bottom — all nine starters reached base safely, and 7-8-9 hitters (Kiké Hernández, Pages and Rojas) combined to go 4-for-10 with three doubles, three RBI and three walks.
And, most importantly, no strikeouts.
“Did you hear?” Rojas yelled into the coach’s locker room as word of the accomplishment trickled through the room. “We didn’t strike out one time!”
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