The Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) lost their starting pitcher to personal issues, but snapped a losing streak thanks to a surprise performance from their “up-and-coming” replacement.

The Dodgers won the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series 10-0 against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida, on Aug. 8 (KST).

After losing their previous two games, the Dodgers snapped a two-game losing streak and improved their season winning percentage to .612 (85-54). The Dodgers, who are currently in first place in the National League West, remain 13 games back of the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks and are one step closer to winning the division.

The Dodgers sent right-hander Ryan Peavy, 26, to the mound today. Peppiott was sent down to the minors after his 31st start last month and recalled a week later. Prior to this game, Peppiott had appeared in three games this season, going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA. He’s been serving as an alternate starter and a bulk guy (a pitcher who comes in after the opener and pitches an inning).

From the first inning onward, Peppiott pitched with authority. He used his changeup and fastball to keep the Miami bats in check. He struck out the side in order in the first inning, including a pair of groundouts, and continued to induce groundballs. He didn’t allow a single Miami batter to reach first base until the sixth inning.

In the meantime, the Dodger bats provided Peppiott with some solid run support. After opening the scoring with a Will Smith RBI single in the third, the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez. A four-run sixth inning put the game out of reach.

Peppiott’s perfect game was broken two batters later in the seventh when he was hit by Josh Bell. He induced a ground ball with a changeup down in the strike zone, but it sailed through the slightly right-leaning infield for a hit. Despite his frustration, Peppiott promptly struck out the next batter, Jazz Chizom Jr. on a wild pitch to end the seventh inning.

Ryan Peavy reacts after giving up his first hit of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning against Miami on Monday. /AFPBBNews=News1
After the Dodgers extended their lead to 10 in the top of the eighth on a three-run homer by Chris Taylor, Peppiatt was replaced on defense by Caleb Ferguson in the bottom of the inning. On the day, Peppiatt pitched seven innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts and no walks, and the Dodgers bullpen closed out the final two innings to secure the win.

A third-round pick of the Dodgers in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, Peppiott broke into the majors last year after a cooling-off period. In nine appearances (seven starts), he showed promise, going 3-0 with a 3.47 ERA. He was called up to the big leagues again this year in August and pitched well in three games, which helped him earn the starting job.

The Dodgers had a starting spot open recently. This was due to the departure of established starter Julio Urias, 27. Urias was arrested by Los Angeles police on April 4 on suspicion of felony battery on a spouse.

This is the second time in four years that Urias has been arrested for something similar, as he was arrested in May 2019 after he became physically violent during an argument with a woman in a mall parking lot. The Dodgers placed Urias on the restricted list and are monitoring the situation.

Urias won 20 games in 2021, leading the National League in wins and winning percentage (.870), and finished third in Cy Young Award voting last year after leading the league in ERA (2.16). This season, he is 11-8 with a 4.60 ERA and hasn’t been as good as he was the previous two years. Despite missing over a month with a hamstring injury, he still managed to pitch a team-high 177⅓ innings and share the starting job with Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 2.48 ERA).먹튀검증

The loss of such a steady starter seemed to put the Dodgers on the ropes, but the second-year big leaguer pitched flawlessly.