LOS ANGELES _ A crowd of Los Angeles Dodgers awaited Charlie Culberson at the plate. A wave of relievers trailed him as he rounded third base toward home, having launched the game-winning home run that delivered the Dodgers to a fourth consecutive division title Sunday in a 4-3 victory in 10 innings over the Colorado Rockies.
The hit ended the final game of Vin Scully's career at Chavez Ravine in fitting fashion: A walk-off homer that sent the Dodgers (90-66) to the playoffs.
No player could steal the spotlight from Scully, but Culberson and Corey Seager gave it a try. The rookie shortstop tied the score in the seventh inning with an RBI triple and did likewise in the ninth with a solo home run that pushed the game into extra innings.
Brandon McCarthy pitched into the sixth inning and restricted the Rockies to two runs. Kenley Jansen gave up a homer to Rockies rookie David Dahl to put the Dodgers down a run heading into the bottom of the ninth.
The Dodgers effectively finished off the division race last week by vanquishing San Francisco in a series. But a late-night, extra-innings victory by the Giants on Saturday delayed the Dodgers' celebration. Two paths to champagne existed for the Dodgers on Sunday: Either a win of their own, or a loss by the Giants, which came only minutes later in San Diego.
The majority of the afternoon operated as a tribute to famed announcer Vin Scully, who was calling his final game at Dodger Stadium. Each member of the Dodgers starting lineup tipped his cap to Scully before his first at-bat. The ballpark aired a recording of Scully singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the middle of the seventh inning. He departed with the song, "Wind Beneath My Wings."
McCarthy was making his ninth start of the season, at the end of a year marred by months of recuperation from elbow reconstruction and a sudden disappearance of his command. McCarthy missed the first three months of the season as he rehabilitated from Tommy John surgery. After five encouraging outings, McCarthy lost the ability to throw strikes.
In the first 162 starts of his career, McCarthy never walked more than four batters in a game. In his three starts this August, he walked five each time. His pitches connected with opposing batters and careened into the backstop. The Dodgers chalked the wildness to stiffness in his hip, which affected his delivery.
The team gave him six more weeks to recuperate. McCarthy looked rejuvenated at the start on Sunday. He flooded the zone with strikes, firing only six balls through two innings. He struck out four of the first six batters he faced.
The spell broke in the third. Rockies shortstop Cristian Adames led off with a single. McCarthy left a curveball over the middle for catcher Dustin Garneau, who stroked an RBI double. Two batters later, outfielder Charlie Blackmon hit a flare to left. Howie Kendrick sprawled across the grass for a diving catch, but Garneau tagged up and scored from third.
The Dodgers cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning. Kendrick singled and Justin Turner doubled. Yasiel Puig lifted a sacrifice fly into center field.
McCarthy left the game with one out in the fifth. Manager Dave Roberts felt comfortable utilizing his bullpen for the rest of the game. The group held the line into the seventh.
The Dodgers had poked at Colorado starter Tyler Anderson all afternoon. He yielded 10 hits. Turner found an opening with a leadoff walk. Anderson challenged Seager with a fastball at the hands. Seager yanked it down the right-field line for his fifth triple of the season.
