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Kyle Tucker drives in winning run as Dodgers celebrate ring night with another win

March 28, 2026

LOS ANGELES — They followed a familiar script to hand out the World Series rings again this year – with a surprise ending.

Clayton Kershaw was summoned from retirement to take the mound at Dodger Stadium one more time, throwing a ceremonial first pitch to Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers then surrounded him on the field, Mookie Betts doing the honors of handing Kershaw the third of the three World Series rings he will take into the Hall of Fame with him.

Kyle Tucker wasn’t one of the Dodgers parading onto a mid-field stage to get a ring from Mark Walter and other Dodger execs (though he has one from the 2022 Houston Astros). He took his star turn later, driving in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the eighth inning that gave the Dodgers a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The game seemed to be following the Opening Day script when the Dodgers fell behind 2-0 only to put four runs on the board in the third inning.

Alex Freeland started the scoring with a solo home run in his first at-bat of the season. Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker followed with walks. Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson had two strikes on each of the hitters.

Mookie Betts didn’t wait that long. He got an 0-and-1 fastball on the outer half and lined it just over the wall in right-center field for a three-run home run and a 4-2 lead.

Those were the Dodgers’ only hits through the first seven innings, however.

Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan struck out the side in the first inning but ran into trouble after that. He gave up a run on two hits and a walk in the second inning then a solo home run to Ketel Marte in the third.

After the Dodgers gave him a lead, Sheehan walked Pavin Smith to start the fourth inning and gave up a double to Carlos Santana on his 83rd pitch of the night. That was enough, but Jack Dreyer gave up a two-run double to Alek Thomas who was out when he went for a triple and came off the base on his slide.

That was one of two outs on the bases courtesy of the Dodgers’ new right fielder. Tucker started the relay that cut Smith down at home plate in the second and Thomas in the fourth.

Going into the bottom of the eighth, 14 Dodgers batters had been retired in order following Betts’ home run. The last 13 of them didn’t even get the ball out of the infield against Nelson and Diamondbacks relievers Jonathan Loaisiga and Ryan Thompson.

Freeland ended that with a leadoff double in the eighth. He moved to third when Shohei Ohtani grounded out, then scored when Tucker lashed a single through the right side of the Diamondbacks’ drawn-in infield.

Trumpets sounded after that, heralding the first save situation for the Dodgers’ new closer, Edwin Diaz. He retired the side in the ninth for his first save.

More to come on this story.

Orange County Register

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Kyle Tucker drives in winning run as Dodgers celebrate ring night with another win

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