Needing a win to keep their season alive, the Los Angeles Dodgers put up a historic offensive performance to defeat the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.
L.A. scored 11 runs on 17 and received five home runs in the contest, three of which came off the bat of Chris Taylor. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the 31-year-old became the first player in MLB postseason history to hit three homers in an elimination game.
It marks only the 12th three-home run game in MLB postseason history and the second by a Dodgers player. Taylor joined Kiké Hernandez, who hit three homers in Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS against the Chicago Cubs.
Among the other players to accomplish this feat include Dodgers teammate Albert Pujols, and Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson. “It’s cool. I hadn’t really thought about that,” Taylor said of joining a list that includes some of the best hitters in MLB history.
“It’s definitely surreal feeling for me. I never thought I was going to hit three homers in a game, let alone a postseason game. It just still hasn’t really sunk in.”
What’s more, Taylor joined Pujols as the only players in MLB history to have at least three home runs, four hits and six RBI in a postseason game. Pujols achieved this in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series while he was still a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Taylor also is the fifth player to accumulate at least three home runs and four hits in a postseason game.
Taylor additionally became the eighth player in MLB postseason history to record at least two home runs and five RBI in an elimination game. He joined Johnny Damon as the only players to do so in the LCS or later.
Taylor’s four home runs in elimination games this postseason are the most in a single postseason. His first one came in the Wild Card Game, when he delivered a walk-off blast to send the Dodgers to the NL Division Series.
Taylor: ‘Dream come true’ to have career night at Dodger Stadium
After helping the Dodgers force a Game 6, Taylor reflected on his unforgettable night. “I think any time you do something cool, when you do it in Dodger Stadium, it makes it that much sweeter,” Taylor he.
“I think this is a special place and these fans are awesome. For it to happen for the first time on this stage in front of these, this crowd, it was a special moment. It’s really special and it’s a dream come true to play here.”
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