There was a lot to celebrate at Dodger Stadium on Monday night as not only was it Jackie Robinson Day, but it also marked the first start of the season for Clayton Kershaw, and the returns of Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and others with the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
The celebratory mood went away rather quickly though when Puig hit a two-run home run off Kershaw in the first inning and then Kemp hit a clutch RBI single in the ninth inning off Kenley Jansen to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.
Then, Joc Pederson ensured that the night ended in a celebration for the Dodgers by hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Los Angeles its first walk-off victory of the season.
The walk-off homer was the first of Pederson’s career and after the game, he discussed how good it felt to propel his team to a win, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“It felt really good. It’s really exciting to help the team win, it was nice. … I wasn’t really looking for much up there. Just trying to get a good pitch. C.T. is fast, so yeah, I really wasn’t trying to do that (hit a home run) but it was a nice outcome. … I got it pretty good.”
Pederson is a man of few words, but it was easy to see how much that home run meant to him when he pumped his chest and pointed at the dugout after he hit it, immediately knowing that it was going to get out despite it clearing the wall by just a few feet.
The Dodgers’ primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching has gotten off to an encouraging start to the 2019 season, batting .255/.382/.691 with seven home runs and 12 RBI in 17 games.
