Clayton Kershaw struck out six over 4 1/3 innings in the final regular-season home start of his accomplished career and the Los Angeles Dodgers finished off a 6-3 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants on Friday, clinching their 13th consecutive playoff berth in the process.
Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts hit back-to-back home runs in a four-run fifth inning as the Dodgers (87-67) increased their National League West lead to four games over the San Diego Padres. Their magic number to clinch the division is four.
Kershaw, an 18-year veteran who on Thursday announced his retirement effective at the end of the season, gave up two runs on four hits with four walks. He departed to a standing ovation and emerged from the dugout for a curtain call.
Los Angeles right-hander Edgardo Henriquez (2-1) relieved Kershaw and went 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts for the win. Left-hander Tanner Scott pitched the ninth inning for his 22nd save.
Heliot Ramos led off the game with a home run for the Giants (76-78), who lost for the sixth time in their past seven games to deal a blow to their playoff hopes. Rafael Devers struck out four times.
Robbie Ray (11-8) gave up five runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings as San Francisco dropped to four games behind the last NL wild-card spot.
The Giants were intent on spoiling the Dodgers’ party when Ramos the leadoff homer, his 18th, on Kershaw’s third pitch. The Dodgers pulled even in the second inning on a home run from Miguel Rojas, his seventh.
A Wilmer Florez RBI single put the Giants up 2-1 in the third.
The Dodgers took charge in the fifth when Andy Pages singled and Enrique Hernandez walked with one out. With two out, Ohtani lifted a three-run home run to the opposite field in left, his 52nd, for a 4-2 lead. Betts followed on Ray’s next pitch with a home run to left-center, his 20th.
Pages had an RBI double in the sixth to give Los Angeles a 6-2 lead before Matt Chapman got the run back for San Francisco with a seventh-inning single.
