The 2019 season has been a memorable one for Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Cody Bellinger as he got off to a hot start and has maintained excellence throughout, putting him in position to perhaps win his first career National League MVP Award.
Bellinger has broken a number of MLB and franchise records throughout the year, and with a grand slam in Sunday’s win over the Colorado Rockies officially put himself in the record books with 27 home runs hit at Dodger Stadium this season.
Bellinger set a franchise record for most homers hit at home, surpassing the previous record that was held by both Gil Hodges (1954) and Duke Snider (1956), who hit 25 apiece while the team was playing at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.
Joc Pederson, who Bellinger shares the outfield with on a near-nightly basis, is also in the midst of his own outstanding season. He finished the year with 24 home runs at Dodger Stadium, which is second to only Bellinger in L.A. history.
Coming off a bit of a down year in 2018, Bellinger made some adjustments this past offseason and it has translated to a career year on the field. Entering play Tuesday, Bellinger is batting .302/.404/.628 with 46 home runs, 118 runs scored and 114 RBI in 151 games. He leads all of baseball with 341 total bases.
The 24-year-old recently broke Willie Mays’ record for the youngest NL player to reach the 45-home run mark in a single season. One more record that Bellinger could break this season, although it may be difficult with only six games remaining, is the Dodgers’ franchise home run record that was set by Shawn Green in 2001.
Bellinger needs three to tie and four to break Green’s record of 49. If he’s going to match or overtake Green, it will need to come at Petco Park or Oracle Park.
For the Dodgers, the home run surge is not limited to Bellinger as they as a team set the NL record for most longballs in a season. The 2019 season as a whole has been known for home runs with the league hitting the most it ever has as well.
