Dodgers Walk Off with 5-4 Win in 11 Innings

Oklahoma City Dodgers – 5

Tacoma Rainiers – 4

(11 innings)

Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 – Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City, Okla.

Game Summary: Óscar Mercado connected on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th inning to break a tie and send the Oklahoma City Dodgers to a 5-4 win against the Tacoma Rainiers Tuesday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Tacoma (35-29/72-67) had scored a run on a RBI double by Riley Unroe in the ninth inning to tie the score, 3-3, and send the game to extra innings. The teams exchanged runs in the 10th inning, including a RBI single by Bryson Brigman that knotted the score again at 4-4. Dodgers reliever Jake Reed (2-1) retired all three batters he faced in the top of the 11th inning. In the bottom of the frame, Ryan Ward grounded out to advance automatic runner Jorbit Vivas from second to third base. Vivas then scored the winning run on Mercado’s sacrifice fly to right field. The Rainiers had built a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning before the Dodgers (35-29/85-52) scored three straight runs to take a 3-2 lead on a two-run home run by Miguel Vargas in the seventh inning and a RBI single by Yonny Hernández in the eighth inning.

Of Note:

-The Dodgers improved their overall season record to 85-52, becoming just the second OKC team during the Bricktown era (since 1998) to win at least 85 games and joining the 2015 Dodgers who finished 86-58.

-The Dodgers have now won three consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 2-4 against Round Rock in OKC. The Dodgers had lost following each of their previous four sets of consecutive wins…OKC has now won five of the last six games, seven of the last nine games and nine of the last 12 games.

-After losing six straight series openers, the Dodgers opened their six-game series with Tacoma with a victory — their first win in a series opener since July 25 in Reno and first in a home series opener since July 18 against El Paso.

-The Dodgers improved to 8-5 in extra-inning games and played their third game of the season to extend into the 11th inning…The Dodgers’ last extra-inning game was Aug. 13 in Tacoma — a 3-2 Rainiers win in 10 innings. OKC’s last game to extend to 11 innings was July 30 in Reno — a 16-15 OKC win.

-Tuesday was OKC’s ninth walk-off win of the season and first since a 7-6 win Aug. 3 against Round Rock in OKC (10 innings). The Dodgers’ nine walk-off wins this season are the most for an OKC team in a single season since 2015 when the dodgers had 11 walk-off wins.

-Outfielder Jake Marisnick opened a Major League Rehab Assignment and grounded out in both of his at-bats. He played five innings in left field before being replaced by Ryan Ward to start the sixth inning. Marisnick was placed on the Los Angeles Dodgers Injured List July 19 with a left hamstring strain and was transferred to the 60-day IL Aug. 15.

-Yonny Hernández went 2-for-2 with a RBI, walk and run scored after entering the game in the fifth inning to replace Michael Busch at third base…Bryson Brigman finished with OKC’s other multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored.

-Miguel Vargas hit his eighth home run of the season with Oklahoma City and his second of September as he last homered Sept. 3 against Round Rock in OKC.

What’s Next: The Dodgers and Rainiers continue their series at 12:05 p.m. Wednesday on a Field Trip Day at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Single-game tickets for OKC Dodgers home games are available at okcdodgers.com/tickets. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. Video broadcasts of all OKC Dodgers home games are now available to be streamed live for free on the Bally Live app.