How Sweep It Is: Angels Beat Dodgers in Six-Game Season Series for the First Time Ever
The bases were loaded in the eighth inning for the Angels with one out, down by a run, for a chance to finish the Freeway Series with a sweep—a nearly identical spot for the Halos in a previous matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. Up to the plate came Luis Rengifo, a chance to play the hero, but back to the bench. Down to their last out came Logan O’Hoppe. With the count 2-2, O’Hoppe delivered. With one swing to short left-center field, O’Hoppe ended the night as the Hero, giving the Angels a game-winning 6-5 lead.
Wednesday’s matchup featured Shohei Ohtani’s first start at the Big A since joining the Dodgers, a show that added to the grandeur of the final matchup between the two teams of the 2025 season. It was not an excellent day for Ohtani as a pitcher, as he ended his night on the mound with five hits, four runs, and two walks. Ohtani pitched into the fifth inning when a Zach Neto two-run single would take the reigning NL MVP out of the game, forcing the Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts to go to the bullpen relatively early in a close match. As a batter, Ohtani struck out three times with only one hit.
For the Angels, Kyle Hendricks took to the mound, immediately giving up a triple to the Dodgers starter, Ohtani, with more damage to come from the rest of the Dodger lineup. All in all, Hendricks would see one through eight of their lineup before finishing the inning, giving up a walk and four hits, including a two-run homer from Will Smith. Hendricks managed to get by the next couple of innings before the fourth, when he left the game with the bases loaded for Mookie Betts. Ryan Zeferjahn came in to clean up Hendricks’ mess, a problem that only grew into a 5-2 lead for the Dodgers. Fortunately for the Halos, Zeferjahn’s ability to stop the bleeding in the fourth kept the game within reach, sparking a dominant effort from the bullpen as five relievers combined to shut down the Dodgers.
From the fourth on, the momentum of the game started to turn the Angels' way after Neto’s two-run single brought the Angels within a run of the Dodgers to 5-4. Then seemingly out of nowhere, a newcomer to the Angels roster with only 10 major league games this season, Bryce Teodosio stepped up. Stretching out a hit to third base for a double and attempting to steal a base, Teodosio was playing to win. In the seventh inning, Teodosio made a jump at the right field wall, robbing a homer from Andy Pages, a play that fired up the crowd and immediately shifted all momentum the Angels' way.
The drama continued well into the evening when it all came to a close in the eighth inning, which felt like a do-or-die situation for the Angels. Back-to-back walks to Mike Trout and Taylor Ward were the beginning of the end for the Dodgers, as the following batter, Jo Adell, hit a single off Dodgers reliever Edgardo Henriquez, loading the bases for the Angels' bottom of the lineup. Rengifo waved at a low and inside cutter to strike out, leaving O’Hoppe as the Angels' last out. It took O’Hoppe down to the last strike to knock a 103 mph fastball for a game-winning single.
After finishing the sweep, the Angels have a record of 59-62, and five games out of a wild-card spot. Beating the Dodgers in a season series sweep will be a series that the Angels should use as motivation, as the season is coming to a close. The team has shown flashes of resilience, but now consistency is everything. The Angels will now be heading to Sacramento to face the Athletics, a crucial team the Angels need to win the series against to keep postseason hopes alive.
