The morale is high: the Angels sweep the defending champion Dodgers with a 6-0 record this season.

For some reason, the Angels have completely dominated their archrivals, the Dodgers, this season.

Even though the Angels had a season with 99 losses last year and the Dodgers took home the World Series title, the Angels have managed to win all six games of the "Freeway Series" this year, including a 6-5 comeback victory today. In the eighth inning with two outs, Logan O'Hoppe hit a two-run go-ahead single off reliever Edgardo Henriquez's fastball, clocked at 103.2 mph, becoming the hero of the game.

O'Hoppe acknowledged that it felt particularly special, as he has experienced ups and downs in his third professional season, but he was able to step up in such a crucial moment in front of a packed Angel Stadium.

“It wasn’t easy,” O'Hoppe said. “I’ve been wanting to have a performance like this for a long time. Obviously, the last few months have felt off. I don’t want to say I found my rhythm again after hitting a foul fastball, but I got a surge of confidence I hadn’t felt in weeks. I capitalized on a good pitch, and I’m glad I did.”

Another reason the Angels achieved this is by facing a familiar face—two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who faced his former team for the first time as a pitcher, though he set a new high for earned runs this season.

This marks the first time in Angels history that they have won all six games against the Dodgers in a single season, and it is only the second time they have swept the "Freeway Series" since going 4-0 in 2019. Additionally, it’s the first time the Angels have swept the Dodgers at Angel Stadium since May 18-20, 2007.

“They are still the World Series champions, but for us, it’s amazing to beat them,” said Taylor Ward, who hit four home runs against the Dodgers this year, setting a franchise record. “I’m excited for our team. I look forward to us building on this.”

They also overcame Kyle Hendricks’ struggles, who pitched just 3.1 innings, his second-shortest start of the year, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks. But just like the Angels have done against the Dodgers this year, they always found a way to win.

The Angels scored four runs during Ohtani’s 4.1 innings of pitching, which is the most he has allowed in a game this season. After missing last year due to a second ulnar collateral ligament surgery, he had only given up five runs in his previous eight starts.

“This kind of resilience has been present throughout the season,” interim manager Ray Montgomery said. “When you’re in that atmosphere, facing Shohei Ohtani, it’s more emotional than other games, as we discussed before.”

The Angels kept scoring off Ohtani, getting two runs in the second inning, including a solo home run by Ward.

This was Ward’s 29th home run of the season and his 90th RBI. Yoán Moncada then hit a double and scored on a sacrifice fly. They tied the game in the fifth when Zach Neto hit a two-run double to left field, knocking Ohtani out of the game.

Center fielder Bryce Teodosio made a leaping catch in the seventh inning on a two-run homer by Andy Pages, preserving the Angels' chances of victory. In the eighth inning with two outs, the Angels loaded the bases, and O'Hoppe came through with a game-winning hit, while Jo Adell also delivered a walk-off single against the Dodgers the previous night.

Kenley Jansen took the mound for the third consecutive day and the fourth time in five days, ultimately closing the game in the ninth inning against his former team, which was perfectly timed.

Jansen played for the Dodgers from 2010 to 2021 and completed 350 of his 470 career saves with them. He expressed his hope that the Angels (59-62) could maintain the same energy shown in this series for the remainder of the season. After this victory, they are now just five games behind for the last wild card spot in the American League.

“I mean, for me, this is important for the whole team,” Jansen said. “I hope this serves as a good wake-up call, no matter what we do, how we prepare, and how we face teams like the world champions. We swept them, and we have to keep that same mindset, energy, and momentum in the upcoming games. Sweeping them is great, but I want to make the playoffs.”