Ohtani falls short of Triple Crown, steals 59th base as Dodgers beat Rockies 2-1 in season finale

DENVER (AP) — Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 and fell short in his bid to become the National League’s first Triple Crown winner since 1937, and stole his 59th base to help the Los Angeles Dodgers rally past the Colorado Rockies 2-1 on Sunday in Charlie Blackmon’s final game.

Ohtani finished the regular season leading the NL in homers (54) and RBIs (130). His .310 average trailed San Diego’s Luis Arráez (.314) in the batting race.

The charter member of the 50-50 club, Ohtani swiped his 59th base during the eighth-inning rally. It could've been his 60th, but on Saturday night a balk was called as he was on his way to easily stealing a base.

“I didn’t think about the Triple Crown or how close I was to it today,” Ohtani said through a translator. "Today, I was focused on having quality at-bats.”

The last NL Triple Crown winner was St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joe Medwick in 1937. In the AL, Detroit's Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012.

It was a season that succeeded even manager Dave Roberts' wildest expectations.

“There were ways early to get him out – crowding him down below, up – but now, his control of the strike zone has just gone to another level,” Roberts said. "And then the base-stealing, obviously. We’ve never seen that type of efficiency.”

Ohtani finished 59 for 63 on stolen-base attempts, including 36 in a row without getting caught. He's two shy of matching the franchise record by Davey Lopes in 1975.

“The most important part of all this is that I was able to play consistent the whole year,” Ohtani said.

Chris Taylor tied the game in the eighth with his first homer since July 7. Maybe this locked him in: a 12-pitch at-bat in the third that resulted in a walk.

Soon after Taylor's homer, Austin Barnes and Ohtani both singled. Barnes then swiped third as part of a double steal with Ohtani. Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen appeared to get his cleat caught in the dirt in his delivery and stopped. He was called for a balk to bring home Barnes.

Evan Phillips (5-1) earned the win and Edgardo Henriquez closed out the ninth for his first career save, among 14 Dodgers with saves this season.

The Dodgers wound up a major league-best 98-64, breaking a string of four straight full seasons with 100 or more wins (they went 43-17 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season). The NL West champions open the Division Series on Saturday and have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Sam Hilliard launched a 476-foot shot into the right field third deck to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead in the second, the fourth-longest in the major leagues this season.

Starter Ryan Feltner scattered two hits over six strong innings in a no-decision. Reliever Victor Vodnik (5-4) took the loss.

It was an emotion-filled afternoon for Blackmon, who went 1 or 2 in his 14th and final season — all with the Rockies. The player known for his bushy beard was lifted for a pinch-runner after his single in the third.

“It was really cool to end on a hit," Blackmon said. “One last time getting to savor it on the way out.”

Blackmon was honored in a pregame ceremony and trotted out to center field all alone to soak in the applause. He leaves as the franchise’s all-time leader in triples and second behind Hall of Famer Todd Helton in games played and runs scored.

Plan on keeping the beard?

“Good question,” said Blackmon, who began his career clean shaven.

Colorado (61-101) has back-to-back 100-loss seasons. The team went 59-103 last season. The Rockies saw 2,540,195 fans attend games at Coors Field this season. Last year, the attendance was 2,607,935.

Before the game, Rockies manager Bud Black sidestepped the topic of his expiring contract.

“Thank you for not asking," Black playfully asked.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: 1B Freddie Freeman continues to receive treatment on his sore right ankle. “I saw video of him walking. He’s ginger when he’s walking,” manager Dave Roberts said. Roberts is optimistic of a return for Freeman and SS Miguel Rojas (torn adductor) to start the playoffs.

UP NEXT:

Dodgers: A few days off before the NLDS begins Saturday.

Rockies: Open spring training at Arizona on Feb. 21.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani pulls in to second base on a double steal in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez reacts after retiring Colorado Rockies' Aaron Schunk to end a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies' Nolan Jones reacts after striking out against Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez works against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black waves during the team's ceremonial walk around the field to acknowledge fans following a loss in the team's season finale Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes, left, congratulates relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez after defeting the Colorado Rockies in a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Retiring Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, left, is hugged by his 3-year-old daughter Josie, right, during the team's ceremonial walk around the field to acknowledge fans following a baseball game loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies pinch-runner Jordan Beck, front, hugs Charlie Blackmon as he is replaced on first base after his single in his final at-bat in the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies' Jake Cave, left, slides safely into second base with a double as Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman, right, applies a late tag in the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani grounds out against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner in the fourth inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon heads to the dugout after he was replaced by a pinch-runner following his single in his final at-bat in the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani heads up the first base line after hitting a ground ball off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner works against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani grounds out against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

SEATTLE (AP) — Logan Gilbert took a perfect game into the sixth inning to cap the best season of his career and Cal Raleigh hit a record-setting two-run homer as the Seattle Mariners beat the Athletics 6-4 on Sunday in their final game representing Oakland.

The final time for the A's with “Oakland” across the front of their gray road uniforms was nearly a historic day for Gilbert. He was overpowering from the outset and retired the first 17 batters of the game before Nick Allen's soft single into left field with two outs in the sixth inning.

That was it for Gilbert, who struck out seven and finished the season with 208 2/3 innings pitched, becoming the first Seattle pitcher to lead baseball in innings for a season. Gilbert (9-12) finished with 220 strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 3.23. And while Detroit's Tarik Skubal seems to be the consensus choice for the AL Cy Young Award, Gilbert should finish high in the voting.

“I know I get a lot of time off so I was just going to leave it all out there. I felt like I at least owed that to the fans and I know I'm going to be wishing on a random day in December or January I was at T-Mobile (Park) pitching against whoever," Gilbert said.

Raleigh's two-run homer to cap Seattle’s four-run fifth inning came on the final pitch from A’s starter Mitch Spence (8-10). It was Raleigh's 34th of the season and 93rd in his career, passing Mike Piazza for the most home runs by a catcher in their first four seasons.

The homer also gave Raleigh 100 RBIs, the first catcher in franchise history to reach that mark.

“That was a really cool moment. The past couple of days my phone's been blowing up, ‘Got to get to 100, got to get to 100.’ I'd obviously trade it in a heartbeat for a spot in the playoffs but that'll be a cool little feat to look back on one day," Raleigh said.

Justin Turner added a two-run single and Victor Robles and Julio Rodríguez both capped hot Septembers with RBI hits.

Seattle finished 85-77 after sweeping the A's, but for the first time in several years, the final series was meaningless for the Mariners after being eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday.

The final day for Oakland (69-93) was filled with appreciation and honor for the A's, along with feelings of sadness the team no longer would represent the East Bay city next season. The A's will relocate to Sacramento for the next few years before a planned move to Las Vegas.

Fans of the green and gold turned out for the finale, starting “Let's go Oakland” chants throughout the game, many of them wearing shirts or carrying signs imploring the A's current ownership to sell the team.

“The emotion of Thursday will never be matched, but today knowing the last game with the Oakland jersey, and the ‘Let’s go Oakland' chants in the ninth inning as loud as they were in a visiting stadium was pretty impressive,” A's manager Mark Kotsay said.

Tyler Nevin had a two-run double in the seventh inning to make sure Oakland's final game didn't end in a shutout and Darell Hernaiz had a two-run double in the ninth.

Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson threw out the ceremonial first pitch on the final day, wearing a half-A’s, half-Mariners jersey. While Henderson played the majority of his career in Oakland, he spent part of one season with Seattle in 2000.

Seattle finished the season with an unofficial total attendance of 2,554,868 after drawing 42,177 for the finale. That’s down slightly from last season when Seattle drew 2,690,418.

The A’s and Mariners will see each other again in Seattle to open next season on March 27, 2025.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Fans cheer as former Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics player Rickey Henderson delivers the ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Mariners and Athletics, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert throws against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Former Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics player Rickey Henderson walks out to deliver the ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Mariners and Athletics, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Oakland Athletics third base coach Eric Martins signs autographs for fans before a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A person casts a shadow on the Oakland Athletics on-deck circle before a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Oakland Athletics' Daz Cameron stands in the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay looks out to the field during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert throws against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh follows through on a two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Mitch Spence throws against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez, facing, greets Cal Raleigh (29) after scoring on Raleigh's two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert walks back to the dugout as fans cheer after being pulled from the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A fan waves an Oakland Athletics flag as Oakland Athletics' Seth Brown stands at the railing before a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh hits a two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)