At 12:57 a.m., more than three hours after Kenta Maeda served up a game-tying home run, Rich Hill raced out of the Dodgers dugout and sprinted across the diamond toward center field at Citizens Bank Park. He climbed the stairs to his team’s bullpen, which had been steadily emptied of pitchers as Tuesday turned to Wednesday. It was the 16th inning.
Yet after Logan Forsythe struck out to strand a pair of runners, Roberts pivoted. He sent utility man Enrique Hernandez to pitch. The gambit did not succeed. Hernandez struggled to throw strikes, walking two batters before allowing a walkoff home run to veteran infielder Trevor Plouffe in a 7-4 defeat.