The Los Angeles Dodgers secured a series win over the Seattle Mariners behind Jason Heyward’s pinch-hit three-run homer in the eighth inning.
The veteran outfielder sent a 99 mph fastball from Andrés Muñoz into the right-field bullpen for his sixth long ball of the season. The clutch hit gave the Dodgers their 30th comeback win in 2024.
Facing one of the best relievers in baseball, Heyward tried to simplify his approach.
“To not overthink it because you don’t have a lot of time,” Heyward answered when asked what his focus was during his plate appearance off the bench.
“So I’ve had a lot of time to prepare for a moment like that one, to take the thinking out of it. And that’s kind of the name of it. It’s just go up there, trust your approach. And if it comes through, amazing, if it doesn’t, go up there and see if there’s anything else you can tweak the next time, but still not overthink it.”
Heyward has had many pinch-hit opportunities in his 15-year career but believes he is always learning something new. “I mean, you will forever learn. I mean, that’s life, no doubt that’s part of life. You’re always learning until it’s done,” Heyward began.
“But in this game of baseball, I learned from a lot of really good players, some Hall of Famers, all-stars, that you never stop learning. So just try to take bits and pieces from this moment and make an adjustment on the fly.
“That was a nice at-bat. The result is going to be a result. Love that result, a three-run homer, but nice swing at the first pitch. He wanted to get ahead. Nice couple takes, and nice job of just being ready for another one somewhere near the zone to put a good swing on. And no doubt it’s hard, but I think that’s that’s why you see drama in late innings, because it’s hard to play the game, it’s hard to come across those runs.”
Heyward acknowledged the difficulty of facing a tough closer like Muñoz, which made his home run that much more rewarding. “You just know that, especially with guys on against a closer, he came in for another inning, it’s hard to get runners on base against a closer,” Heyward said of the exhilarating factor of hitting a go-ahead home run.
“It’s hard to make things happen like that late in the game. To be a part of the reward for our group, it’s really cool to see, to run across the board against the guy who’s supposed to stop the game.”
Jason Heyward not concerned with Dodgers roster crunch
With the Dodgers facing a roster crunch, Heyward is one of the players who could be on the bubble. His home run figures to help his case for staying on the roster, but he is not taking it for granted.
“No, I think that’s going to be what it’s going to be, no matter what. Years like this one, when a team is going for it, and they want to be all in, I think they always have to put their best foot forward,” Heyward explained.
“And whatever happens happens, that’s a part of it. But I think, personally, it’s pretty cool to be number 23 for this club, to hit a couple majestic number 23 type homers, not postseason, but for where we want to go. A pinch-hit grand slam and a pinch-hit three-run homer for our guys, I’m feeling pretty special.”
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