That .867 Average: Angels' Batters 6-9 Made History And Left The Dodgers Absolutely Speechless

Whoa. Seriously, whoa. If you didn't catch the Freeway Series game on Sunday, you missed some absolutely wild baseball history that still has me shaking my head. The Angels, after getting absolutely shelled in the first five games against the Dodgers, managed to pull out a huge 13-5 win. But it wasn't their big bats that did it, nope, it was their BOTTOM FOUR hitters putting on a clinic that nobody saw coming. We're talking about a combined 13-for-15 from Jo Adell, Nick Madrigal, Jose Siri, and Sebastián Rivero, completely flipping the script and avoiding a season sweep.

The Numbers Don't Lie: A Historic Hitting Clinic

Let's just look at the stat line from these guys: 13-for-15, four walks, ten runs scored, and ten RBIs. Think about that for a second! That's not just good, that's absurd. This wasn't some fluke. They made history, people. Elias Sports confirmed it: this marks the first time since the expansion era that a team started out going 10-for-10 from their final four spots in the order. And their ridiculous .867 average? That's the highest by batters 6-9 since at least 1900. You read that right, NINETEEN HUNDRED! Remember how the Angels swept their neighbors 6-0 back in 2025? Well, the Dodgers weren't getting the favor returned, not with this kind of lineup production.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki summed it up perfectly, saying, “I didn’t know until someone told me in the eighth that we were 11-for-11 with four walks at one point. Just quality at-bats from the bottom of the order.” Quality doesn't even begin to cover it, coach.

Unsung Heroes Stepped Up Big Time

Man, where do you even start with individual performances? Nick Madrigal, who's known for contact but has a career walk rate of just 4.5 percent, with the league average usually around 10 percent, became a total nightmare for Dodgers pitchers. He drew 32 pitches across three walks and added a single in the seventh. The dude fouled off 17 pitches, the most by an Angels player since way back in 1997. He even became the first player since 2016 to have multiple plate appearances of at least 12 pitches and the third this year with three successful ABS challenges in one game. Madrigal said, “I got good pitches to hit, I just kept fouling them off. On one hand, it was frustrating; on the other hand, I felt calm in the box. I just think those are important at-bats to put pressure on them and get the next guy up.” Mission accomplished, buddy.

Then there's Sebastián Rivero. The guy came into this game hitting a measly .133 for the season with only eight career RBIs in 67 games. What did he do on Sunday? Only went 5-for-5 with a double and SIX RBIs! His go-ahead single in the second inning literally knocked Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan out of the game after just 1 1/3 innings and 49 pitches. Jo Adell, who went 4-for-5 himself with a two-run homer, gushed, “It was pretty special to watch. Rivero just had an absolute day. Or really even two weeks, with how well it was. Just great all-around.” Jose Siri wasn't messing around either, going 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put it bluntly: “It had a huge impact. That bottom half of the order, they were fouling off a lot of balls. We couldn’t put those guys away six through nine.” You can say that again!

From Madrigal’s 14-pitch walk tormenting Sheehan, to Siri’s walk, to Rivero’s 0-2 RBI single. Then Madrigal’s six-pitch walk against Blake Treinen, setting up Rivero’s two-run single. Madrigal’s 12-pitch walk against Alex Vesia, followed by Siri’s two-run single. Adell’s 433-foot, 112 mph two-run shot in the seventh, and then Madrigal, Siri, and Rivero hitting three straight singles to set up a game-changing three-run blast from Zach Neto, before Rivero even added an RBI double in the ninth! What a day. Rivero, with a smile, shared, “Obviously, I saw the ball good at the plate. I woke up tired today, but sometimes those are your best days.” No kidding!

Man, what a game for the Angels, pulling off some truly legendary stuff. Wish we could say the same for our M's, who just wrapped up a tough 5-4 loss to the Tigers. Rough one, but hey, that's baseball, right? We'll get 'em next time!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.