Saturday, April 25, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

A six-run fourth inning snapped the Cubs’ ten-game winning streak.

On an overcast Saturday late afternoon at Dodger Stadium, Roki Sasaki had his best outing this year as the Los Angeles Dodgers trounced the Chicago Cubs, 12–4.

Coming into this game, the Dodgers’ offense was slumping. When they fell behind early, Dodger fans were thinking, “Not again.” In the third inning, Max Muncy, who is under the weather, blasted a two-run homer.

The fourth inning started with Hyeseong Kim’s single and Alex Freeland’s double. The Dodgers don’t want to know where they would be without the production of their bottom of the order. Shohei Ohtani broke out of his early-season slump. Every Dodger contributed to the final score.

Since May 2025, Sasaki earned a major-league win. Although he allowed three solo home runs, he commanded the strike zone. His splitter had more velocity than in the past, and it found the strike zone frequently. In five plus innings, he allowed seven hits, striking out five and walking one.

Jack Dreyer, Will Klein, Kyle Hurt, and Jake Eder pitched well in relief.

Saturday marked the fiftieth anniversary of Rick Monday saving the American flag at Dodger Stadium. While playing center field for the Cubs, Monday noticed two protestors who came onto the field had something under their arms. They laid out the flag and poured lighter fluid onto it. Before they could light the flag, Monday swooped in and rescued the flag.

Monday was the first player to be drafted in 1965. He played for nineteen years in the major leagues for the Athletics, the Cubs, and the Dodgers. In 1981, he hit the decisive home run in the NLCS against the Montreal Expos to send the Dodgers to the World Series, where they beat the hated New York Yankees. He had 241 home runs in his career.

Monday, a former US Marine Reserve, calls saving the flag his greatest achievement. He and his wife, Barbaralee, have taken the tattered to many veterans’ hospitals, including Walter Reed. Starting on Memorial Day, the flag will be displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and twice this year, the Hall of Fame will honor Monday.

He has been a Dodger broadcaster since 1985. In 1993, after Don Drysdale’s unexpected death, Monday joined the game broadcast team. His class, work ethic, and professionalism have set an incredible example for all.

On Sunday, with Justin Wrobleski on the mound, the Dodgers will look to win the series from the Cubs.