Halos’ Neto turns his 1st triple play off Ohtani liner
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Alden Gonzalez
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto had never been part of a triple play — not in the minors, not in college, not even in Little League. He’d only ever seen them on social media. Then he turned one almost single-handedly on Tuesday night — in a big spot, against one of the game’s best players — to generate a massive momentum swing against the reigning World Series champs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had runners on first and second with none out and the score tied at 5 in the top of the sixth inning when Shohei Ohtani hit a low line drive up the middle. Neto, shaded almost behind second base, caught it, immediately stepped on second to double up Miguel Rojas, who froze on contact, then fired to first base to get Dalton Rushing, the rookie catcher who seemed perplexed by the development.
The Angels went on to win 7-6 in 10 innings and moved to 5-0 against the Dodgers this season. The prior night, Neto had set the tone in another victory by homering twice in the Angel Stadium opener.
The triple play, in his mind, was better.
“I like hitting home runs,” Neto said, “but making a play like that in a situation where you have one of the best hitters up to bat, with first and second, no outs — to be able to make a play like that, I think it was pretty special.”
Neto’s triple play was only the third in the majors this season and the first by the Angels since Aug. 18, 2023, when a miraculous 6-4-3-2 triple play kept the game tied in the ninth inning. Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel made the final turn in that one — then made the final tag in this one after fielding Neto’s throw.
“If he messed that up,” Neto said of Schanuel, “we were going to have some words.”
The triple play marked the latest lowlight for a Dodgers team that has been reeling for the better part of six weeks, going 15-20 since the start of July. Their third straight loss was coupled with the San Diego Padres‘ fourth straight win, setting up a tie between the division rivals for first place in the National League West — with three games looming between them from Dodger Stadium this weekend.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman believes it’s “too early” to focus on the standings.
“It won’t be tied if we don’t win games,” Freeman said, “so that’s kind of our main focus right now.”
Ohtani did his part to make that happen. Three innings after lining into the triple play, the Dodgers’ two-way player turned on a ninth-inning cutter from Angels closer Kenley Jansen and sent it out to right field for his 43rd home run, temporarily giving his team the lead.
But the Angels came back against an exceedingly short-handed Dodgers bullpen, manufacturing a run to force extras in the bottom of the ninth and walking it off on Jo Adell‘s single in the bottom of the 10th.
Next up, in Wednesday’s series finale, they’ll face Ohtani the pitcher.
“I definitely pissed him off,” Neto said of his triple play against Ohtani. “That’s OK. I got to face him tomorrow. I’ll just enjoy this for a couple more hours and get ready to face him.”
The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Michael King on the 15-day injured list Thursday because of left knee inflammation.
King (4-2, 2.81 ERA) had just come off the IL on Saturday, allowing two runs in as many innings of a no-decision against the Boston Red Sox.
It was his first start since May 18 as he dealt with shoulder inflammation.
Now, he’s back on the IL with a knee issue in a move retroactive to Monday.
It’s a setback for a red-hot Padres team, who will carry a five-game winning streak into a weekend showdown against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. First-place San Diego is one game ahead of L.A. in the NL West.
King had been scheduled to start the series opener Friday.
In the corresponding roster move, the Padres recalled right-hander Randy Vásquez from Triple-A El Paso.
While the Milwaukee Brewers keep on rolling, another Wisconsin business is stocking up on beef and buns.
For the third time in its history, George Webb Restaurants will make good on its promise of giving away free hamburgers as part of a longstanding promotion to celebrate the Brewers winning 12 consecutive games.
The free burger giveaway will be held Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. CT at all 23 of the restaurant’s locations throughout Wisconsin. Vouchers for a burger at a later date will be available at all locations starting Friday.
“Hungry fans are welcome to stop by any location for a free, juicy burger and some camaraderie with fellow baseball fans,” the restaurant said on its website.
Starting way back in the 1940s, when Milwaukee was home to the minor league Brewers of the old American Association, George Webb promised free burgers if the local baseball team won 17 consecutive games.
The promotion dropped to 13 games by the time the Braves made Milwaukee a big league city in 1953, but that franchise couldn’t make it happen before departing for Atlanta in 1966.
George Webb changed the promotion to 12 games when the Brewers moved from Seattle in 1970. In 1987, the Brewers opened the season with 13 wins in a row, and more than 170,000 burgers were given away to mark the occasion.
The Brewers accomplished the feat a second time in 2018, closing the regular season with eight victories followed by four playoff wins. That streak led to 90,000 free burgers being given away in addition to 100,000 redeemable vouchers.
Prior to reaching the magic mark on Wednesday, the Brewers had come close on a few occasions, including an 11-game winning streak earlier this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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