For the 50,141 who were fortunate enough to be at Wednesday night’s game-three series finale between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium, they will forever be able to brag to their friends that they were there – in person – the night that Matt Kemp hit his monster 425-foot home run deep into the Left Field Pavilion to become the seventh Dodger player to hit 20 or more home runs in the same season, something that had never been done before in the 142-year history of the National League, the oldest of the two MLB leagues.

Although there have been six American League teams – the league with the designated hitter rule – to have seven guys hit 20 or more home runs in the same season, the Dodgers became the first National League team to do so in its 142-year history, with Matt Kemp’s monster blast in the bottom of the second inning on Wednesday night in front of a sold out Dodger Stadium. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

And then there’s the monster three-run pinch-hit home run by Yasiel Puig (who is among the aforementioned seven) in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Dodgers a 5-2 lead (and final score) over the now NL West second place Rockies. It was Puig’s first-ever pinch-hit home run in his six-year MLB career, his 22nd of the season, and (wait for it…) his sixth in his last 18 at-bats, and boy did he pimp it with what was arguably the greatest bat flip of the season … if not ever.

Puig’s bat was in the air almost as long as his seventh-inning game-winning home run ball was.
(Photo credit – Jill Weisleder)

But sandwiched in between Kemp’s historic home run and Puig’s eventual game-winner, the Dodgers scored their second run of the night on a double off the bat of Dodgers second baseman Brian Dozier in the bottom of the fifth inning. And while it is certainly understandable that a lone RBI double by a guy who entered the game hitting a Logan Forsythe-like .217 flew well below the radar on this historic night, it was Dozier’s double that turned a 2-1 Dodgers deficit into a 2-2 ballgame and set the stage for what was among the most exciting games of the season.

The inning began with a leadoff single to left by Dodgers center fielder Kiké Hernandez, which was followed by a strikeout (looking) by Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal to bring the struggling Dozier to the plate with one out and a runner on first. On a 1-1 count and after a pick-off attempt of Hernandez by Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson, Dozier lined a double into the gap in left-center field. And while Rockies left-fielder and longtime Dodgers nemesis Gerardo Parra was unable to cut the ball off (hence the double), he got to it very quickly after it bounced off the wall and fired a bullet to Rockies shortstop Ian Desmond.

All the while Kiké was running like there was no tomorrow and by every indication Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward would hold him at third base.

He did not.

Instead, the veteran Dodgers coach waved Hernandez home; a risky move for even the fastest baserunner. And while Kiké is no slouch on the basepaths, Desmond’s throw to the plate was a good one and it appeared that Hernandez, representing the extremely crucial (at the time) tying run, was going to be thrown out at the plate … and he nearly was. However, Kiké made an outstanding, – albeit risky – head-first / hand-first slide and touched home plate a millisecond before Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta tagged him on his left shoe.

Although the play at the plate was extremely close, home plate umpire Tony Randazzo was in the perfect position to see it. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

It was clear that Hernandez appreciated Woodward’s extremely risky decision to send him, as the very first thing he did when he stood up was point to Woody to thank him.

The first thing that Kiké did after standing up from his head-first slide at the plate was point to Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward to thank him for sending him on what was a very close play at the plate.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

With the win and series sweep of the Rockies, the Dodgers increased their lead over Bud Black’s team to 2.5 games in the NL West. The Dodgers finally have a well-deserved off day on Thursday before opening their final home series of the season against the San Diego Padres over the weekend. They then travel to Arizona to begin a three-games series against the suddenly struggling Diamondback and then close out the 2018 regular season against the Giants at AT&T Park in San Francisco. I would be remiss if I did not mention that The Hated Ones were eliminated from postseason last week.

Ahh… It’s good to be a Dodger fan.