The weekend was a magical one at Dodger Stadium as the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the second-place Colorado Rockies, with all three wins coming via walk-off home runs by rookie players.
When Matt Beaty and Alex Verdugo did it on Friday and Saturday night, respectively, it became the first time in Major League history that rookie teammates hit walk-off home runs in back-to-back games.
Somehow, the Dodgers were able to miraculously extend that record as rookie Will Smith, just called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City before the game, was the hero on Sunday afternoon.
With the game tied at three in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Rockies decided to intentionally walk Russell Martin with a base open and two outs, bringing up Smith.
As he has shown in his short time with the Dodgers having already hit two home runs, including another walk-off to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, Smith did not panic as he stepped to the plate.
He proceeded to launch a walk-off three-run shot to right-center field to help his team cap off the sweep with a 6-3 victory.
WEST SIDE WALK IT OUT. pic.twitter.com/DqNiS8QoZS
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 23, 2019
The Dodgers offense actually stayed quiet for most of the game as they trailed 2-0 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Chris Taylor changed that though when he launched a three-run pinch-hit home run off Rockies reliever Chad Bettis to give Los Angeles a 3-2 lead.
A Taylor-made seventh. pic.twitter.com/7Rp5Q5Nncq
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 23, 2019
While he didn’t earn a win, Kenta Maeda turned in one of his best starts of the season. He got through seven innings for the first time all year, allowing seven hits and two runs while striking out six and walking two.
With the win and sweep, the Dodgers now have a commanding 13-game lead in the National League West.
