Though the Los Angeles Dodgers saw their comeback effort fell short in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, there were still plenty of positives to take away from their loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
One bright spot was Manny Machado, who picked up right where he left off in the NL Division Series. Machado put the Dodgers on the scoreboard in the second inning with a solo home run off Milwaukee Brewers starter Gio Gonzalez.
Machado went an overall 2-for-4 in the game, later adding a clutch two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning that trimmed the Brewers’ lead to three runs.
After a career year at the plate for Machado during the regular season, he believes his swing off Gonzalez that resulted in a home run was one of the best he made all season, via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com:
“Just facing him quite a bit, in that situation I know he’s not going to give me a heater,” Machado said. “He’s probably going to go to his best pitch and I was able to sit on it. It was probably one of the best swings I’ve made all year.”
Having faced Gonzalez plenty of times over the course of his seven-year career, Machado was clearly comfortable at the plate against the southpaw.
The 26-year-old’s blast registered at an exit velocity of 115.6 mph, making it the fourth-hardest home run hit of the postseason. Moreover, it was the hardest-hit homer of Machado’s career since Statcast started tracking in 2015.
After a slow start to the month of October, Machado has since bounced back with a 4-for-9 showing over his last two games. In that span, he’s homered twice while adding a double and seven RBI to boot.
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