Mark J. Terrill / AP

Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier sprays champagne toward the crowd as the players and fans celebrate after Los Angeles won the the National League West title by beating Colorado on Saturday night.

Hong-Chih Kuo (2-0) pitched a perfect seventh for the victory. George Sherrill did likewise in the eighth and Jonathan Broxton got the last three outs.

The Dodgers’ closer retired Garrett Atkins on a fly to right fielder Andre Ethier and sent the sellout crowd of 54,531 into a frenzy as Broxton’s teammates rushed the mound in celebration of the Dodgers’ first back-to-back division titles since 1977-78.

“To clinch the division and clinch home-field advantage, there’s nothing like it to be out there on that last out with the crowd behind you. It was just an awesome time out there,” Broxton said.

Kershaw left no doubt as to who was in charge this night, striking out his first five batters and retiring his first 11 in a row.

Things got testy in the third inning, when Dodgers bench coach Bob Schaefer was ejected by plate umpire Doug Eddings for griping from the dugout about a called strike with Kershaw at the plate. Once he got back on the mound, Kershaw kept throwing strikes. He had nine strikeouts through the first 3 2-3 innings.

De La Rosa retired his first nine batters before injuring himself on his 40th pitch.

The left-hander was relieved by Jose Contreras with a 2-0 count on Rafael Furcal, who singled and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts. But Ramirez lined out to right field.

Kershaw allowed three hits, struck out 10 and walked three.

Saturday was an ugly anniversary for the Dodgers on several counts. In 1951, Ralph Branca gave up a three-run homer by Bobby Thomson in the bottom of the ninth inning at New York’s Polo Grounds as the New York Giants won the NL pennant with a stunning 5-4 win in the deciding game of a three-game playoff.

In 1962, the Dodgers lost the third and deciding game of another three-game playoff with the Giants, who rallied with four runs in the ninth to win 6-4 at Los Angeles and advanced to the World Series.

Notes: Among those in attendance was the oldest living major league player, former Brooklyn Dodger INF Tony Malinosky, who turns 100 years old on Monday. ... Pierre was presented with the team’s fourth annual Roy Campanella Award by Campy’s daughter, Joni Roan, in a pregame ceremony.

More news

Scott Cunningham / Getty Images

Shades of 'Generation K?'

  HBT Daily: Craig Calcaterra asks if Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler are future aces, or reminders of past failed Mets prospects?

Yankees top Dodgers in Mattingly's Bronx return

NEW YORK (AP) - Yankees fans showed Don Mattingly the love from the moment he took the lineup card to home plate Wednesday. Hiroki Kuroda, though, wasn't feeling nostalgic when facing his old team.

Headlines

• Label

HBT Daily: Is Wil Myers the next Yasiel Puig?

Harvey takes no-no into 7th, Mets hang on

HBT: Mets' Wheeler goes six scoreless in MLB debut

HBT: City of San Jose sues MLB over ballpark

Hamilton's slump hits new low in Angels' loss

Goldschmidt walks-off for division-leading D-Backs

CSN: Sox walk-off on Rays  |  Giants rally past Padres

Cubs get to Wainwright, beat Cardinals