Best Games Of 2018 Season: No. 8, Yasiel Puig Hits 3 Home Runs (And 5 In 24 Hours) As Dodgers Rout Cardinals

As Major League Baseball has made every game from 2018 and 2019 available for free on MLB.TV, DodgerBlue.com ranked the best streaming options for contests involving the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The list continues with No. 8 from the 2018 season, when Yasiel Puig hit three home runs in one game against the St. Louis Cardinals, and five over a 24-hour span. The power display came at a crucial time as the Los Angeles Dodgers pushed into the second Wild Card spot — overtaking the Cardinals.

Well before Puig torched St. Louis, starter John Gant began his outing by striking out Joc Pederson.

Next up was Justin Turner who singled, followed by Manny Machado, who pounded an opposite-field home run to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The Fox announcer declared, “Days like today, when it’s hot and sunny, I’m guessing we see four or five home runs.”

Turns out, he was close.

But while the game ended up being a 17-4 rout by the Dodgers, it didn’t necessarily feel like a blowout was brewing from the get-go. Rich Hill struck out the side in the first, and the Dodgers didn’t score again until the fourth inning, when Puig hit a solo homer.

In fact, the Dodgers actually left the bases loaded in the third inning without plating a single run.

Up 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth, things felt pretty well in control — that is, until Hill’s curveball started to get away from him. After loading the bases, Patrick Wisdom stepped up and gave St. Louis the lead with a massive grand slam into left field.

But, the Dodgers would not be denied. In the very next inning, Gant loaded the bases before giving way to the first of five relievers (Tyler Webb). He promptly gave up a two-run single to Cody Bellinger (who finished with six RBI) before being relieved by Mike Mayers.

The first batter he faced was Puig. He clubbed a three-run blast that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 8-4. They would add two more runs in the sixth before leaving the bases loaded again in the seventh.

In the eighth, Puig hit his third home run of the day — and his fifth in 24 hours — before Bellinger added a home run in the ninth to cap off the scoring. In total, the Dodgers had 16 hits, 10 walks and a hit by pitch.

In addition to big days from Puig and Bellinger, Turner and Max Muncy both reached base five times (Muncy was 1-for-1 with four walks, while Turner was 3-for-3 with a walk and hit by pitch).

On the mound, Hill went five average innings to notch a win before giving way to the bullpen (Dylan Floro, Pedro Baez, Ryan Madson, Julio Urias) who provided four shutout innings.