‘What Are the Chances?’

The Santa Ana winds swirled, and something strange happened, of course. The winds so celebrated in literature hit the sports page.

On a warm and breezy evening, the balls soared out of Dodger Stadium on Monday. The Dodgers don’t hit home runs, but they did. The balls don’t fly here at night, but they did.

The Dodgers hit seven home runs, tying their stadium record. They hit four in a row, tying the major league record. They erased a four-run deficit, and then another. And they won, in extra innings, on another home run, securing an 11-10 victory over San Diego, jumping over the Padres and into first place in the National League West.

The story of two of the most thrilling innings in the history of a storied franchise, in the words of the men in uniform:

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The Dodgers might have no greater nemesis than Trevor Hoffman, the San Diego closer. With three more saves, Hoffman will pass Lee Smith for the all-time lead. He hasn’t blown a save against anyone in two months, or against the Dodgers in five years. As the Padres batted in the top of the ninth inning, Jeff Kent mentally prepared to lead off the bottom of the ninth.

Kent: “I was trying to get my mind ready for Hoffman.”

As Hoffman warmed up, the Padres scored three runs off Dodgers closer Takashi Saito to take a 9-5 lead. The Padres decided to use Jon Adkins, not Hoffman.

Padres Manager Bruce Bochy: “He knew that, if it was a one-run situation or a save situation, he would be coming into the ballgame. Once we got the four-run lead, we were going to try to save him, because he’s been a little achy and he had thrown a lot of pitches the day before.”

Kent homers, on the second pitch. Padres 9, Dodgers 6, still no Hoffman.

Kent: “I’m surprised he didn’t come in after my hit.”

J.D. Drew: “They sat him down after they got a four-run lead. He wasn’t warming up. They weren’t going to jump up and throw him out there cold turkey.”

Adkins had given up one home run all season, until Kent hit one. Three pitches later, Drew hits another one.

Drew: “We were still down three runs when I came up, so I was just trying to put a good swing on it. It went out of the park, so I guess I put a good swing on it.”

Padres 9, Dodgers 7. Enter Hoffman, the master of the change-up. On the Dodgers bench, players reminded Russell Martin that Hoffman likes to get strike one with a fastball.

Martin: “The other day, he threw me a fastball, first pitch, belt-high. I didn’t hit it. I was hoping I would get to see that pitch again. He threw me pretty much the same pitch. I didn’t miss it.”

First pitch, fastball, home run. Padres 9, Dodgers 8.

Hoffman: “What’s different about the situation than the day before? Russell got a fastball first pitch and popped it up. The only difference was, there was a little momentum coming off the back-to-back homers.”

Hoffman had given up two home runs all season, until Martin hit one and Marlon Anderson hit another. Padres 9, Dodgers 9, on another first-pitch fastball.

Anderson: “What are the chances? Four in a row in a baseball game?”

Four times in major league history, out of more than 180,000 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

For the Dodgers, the team that started the evening last in the National League in home runs, it was four homers in seven pitches.

Hoffman got the next three batters, and the Padres scored once off Aaron Sele in the top of the 10th. Padres 10, Dodgers 9.

Bochy asked trainer Todd Hutcheson whether Hoffman can return for the bottom of the 10th. Hutcheson said no.

Bochy: “We could have pushed him, but I would have felt worse if we had pushed him and something would have happened.”

Hoffman: “It’s my ego that’s more bruised than the shoulder.”

The Padres summoned Rudy Seanez, who was out of work four weeks ago. Kenny Lofton walked.

Nomar Garciaparra homered. He has a pulled muscle in his left leg, and he can barely run, but he didn’t need to.

Dodgers 11, Padres 10.

Game over.

Garciaparra: “When I was rounding the bases, I couldn’t wait to get home and hug everybody. It was like a group hug, because it was a group effort.”

Bedlam ensued, at high decibels.

Drew: “I just feel bad for the half the stadium that left early.”

Garciaparra felt for the half of the stadium that stuck around. He felt good.

Garciaparra: “It was so loud at the end. They were still there, waiting, when -- believe me -- it would have been easy for them to say it was over. We didn’t give up, and neither did they.”

Anderson: “It’s definitely the greatest game I’ve ever played in.”

The Dodgers got 20 hits, and seven home runs, and barely won.

Anderson: “We needed every hit, every home run that we got, to pull it out.”

Bochy: “We saw something that we’ll probably be lucky to see again in our lifetime, and that’s to hit four consecutive home runs to tie a ballgame. That’s a fluke. It’s a freakish-type thing. But they did it. Tip your cap.”

Anderson does not have a copy of the game waiting for him on video. He scurried to get one, to replay, again and again.

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Times staff writer Ben Bolch contributed to this report.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

4x4

The Dodgers’ salvo of four consecutive home runs in the ninth inning Monday night can only be matched three times in baseball history:

JUNE 8, 1961

AT CROSLEY FIELD, CINCINNATI

* Cincinnati’s Jim Maloney, with a 10-2 lead in the seventh, gave up home runs to Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron. Marshall Bridges relieved Maloney and gave up home runs to Joe Adcock and Frank Thomas on his first two pitches. The Reds held on for a 10-8 victory.

JULY 31, 1963

AT CLEVELAND STADIUM

* Already trailing, 4-1, in the sixth inning, Angels pitcher Paul Foytack, who had had difficulty closing out batters, gave up consecutive home runs to Woodie Held, Pedro Ramos, Tito Francona and Larry Brown, all on 0-and-2 counts, as the Indians won the game, 9-1.

MAY 2, 1964

AT MUNICIPAL STADIUM, KANSAS CITY, MO.

* Tony Oliva led off the 11th against the Kansas City A’s Dan Pfister with a home run, and Bob Allison and Jimmie Hall followed suit, all on the first pitch. Vern Handrahan relieved Pfister and Harmon Killebrew hit his first pitch out in the Twins’ 7-3 win.

Source: retrosheet.org

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The races

The Dodgers fell into second place with a loss to Pittsburgh and a San Diego win over Arizona on Tuesday:

*--* NL WEST W L PCT. GB San Diego 79 71 527 -- DODGERS 79 72 523 1/2 San Francisco 74 76 493 5

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*--* NL WILD CARD W L PCT. GB DODGERS 79 72 523 -- Philadelphia 78 73 517 1 San Francisco 74 76 493 4 1/2

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