After remaining healthy and producing a sixth consecutive Spring Training in which he batted at least .333, most anticipated Justin Turner would carry that success into the regular season.
But as the Los Angeles Dodgers have put together one of the best records in baseball, Turner has yet to meet expectations set by several years of being a steady, if not prolific, contributor. The bulk of the focus lied on Turner’s lack of a home run entering play Tuesday.
In reality, that should not have been much of a surprise as Turner had only hit two career homers before May 1. He got going one day early by driving a solo home run to straightaway center field at Oracle Park, just clearing Kevin Pillar’s outstretched arm.
In addition to the home run being Turner’s first this season, he became the last position player from the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster to hit a long ball.
Turner joked about the treatment he received from teammates upon returning to the dugout and otherwise had his focus on moving forward with one home run now behind him, via SportsNet LA:
“That was nice. I got treated with a bunch of guys in the dugout giving me the cold shoulder treatment, so that was fun. Yeah, it felt good to get that out of the way and have a number in the column. Hopefully we just keep getting better from here.”
Turner additionally expressed some surprise his first homer of the season came under the circumstances it did:
“It’s probably the worst park to hit a ball to center and probably one of the worst center fielders to have out there when you do hit one. Looking at the replay, Pillar was only a couple inches away from robbing it. Just thankful it got out.”
While some were fretting over the absence of power, Turner maintained his even-keeled approach and explained there wasn’t any angst on his part. He additionally dismissed the perception of being a home run hitter to begin with.
Turner reached double-digit homers in four of the past five seasons with the Dodgers, including a career-high 21 during a 2017 All-Star campaign. Arguably more impressive is the streak of five seasons with at least 21 doubles.
Turner has hit a minimum of 31 doubles in each of the past three seasons, and thus far has three in 2019.
