SAN FRANCISCO _ The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, rivals occupying different tiers in baseball's hierarchy, concluded their regular seasons on the same field with different agendas Sunday.
The Dodgers were there to complete the final tuneups and set a franchise record in wins before marching into the playoffs. The Giants' attention was on bidding goodbye to their manager, Bruce Bochy, and their ace, Madison Bumgarner, before heading into another long offseason.
A sellout crowd at Oracle Park got ample opportunities to express their adulation for the departing mainstays. The Dodgers, meanwhile, fulfilled all their objectives in defeating San Francisco, 9-0, for their 106th victory, surpassing the record set by the 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Dodgers also set a franchise mark for run differential (plus 273) and won the National League West by a record 21 games. They will play Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Thursday against the winner of Tuesday's wild-card game between the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers.
The top priority for Los Angeles on Sunday was Rich Hill. Last year, Hill found out he was starting the regular-season finale against the Giants (77-85) less than 24 hours before the game. The stakes were different. The Dodgers needed to win that day to avoid the wild-card game. On Sunday, the left-hander was making his second start since re-injuring the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in an attempt to convince his superiors he is fit to pitch in the playoffs.
Hill offered a strong case with three scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked two and recorded four strikeouts. He appeared more comfortable throwing his 49 pitches than he did during his start Tuesday. Afterward, he simulated a fourth inning in the bullpen.
The Dodgers (106-56) ambushed Giants right-hander Dereck Rodriguez with five runs in the first inning. Corey Seager fueled the outburst, sparked by two groundballs that went through gaping holes the Giants' infield shifting offered, with a three-run double. Five pitches later, Will Smith deposited a two-run home run just over the wall in left-center field.
The drama peaked in the fifth inning. It began with Clayton Kershaw making the short walk from the uncovered bullpen down the right-field line to the pitcher's mound for his first relief appearance in a regular season game since 2009. Kershaw tossed six innings Thursday. He will start one of the first three games of the NLDS, but he also likely will come out of the bullpen at some point. Sunday's appearance was perhaps both a final tuneup and a rehearsal.
Kershaw retired the first two batters before a familiar face emerged from the Giants' dugout. Bumgarner, an impending free agent maybe in his final game in a Giants uniform, stepped out for a pinch-hit appearance to a rousing ovation. Originally scheduled to start the game on the mound, Bumgarner, arguably baseball's best hitting pitcher, doffed his helmet to the crowd before facing Kershaw.
A seven-pitch battle between the rivals ensued. It ended when Bumgarner lined a 91-mph fastball to the third baseman for the third out. Kershaw turned to the Giants dugout as he walked off the field and tipped his cap to Bochy. The retiring manager reciprocated as the crowd roared again in appreciation of Bumgarner.
Joe Kelly followed Kershaw for his first appearance in 11 days in the sixth inning after battling an "overall body situation," according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "It was a quick showing. The right-hander induced two groundouts with six pitches before Roberts replaced him with Adam Kolarek.
In all, eight Dodgers pitchers held a meager Giants lineup to two hits and three walks. They combined for the club's 18th shutout of the season. The count resets Thursday.
