Mookie Betts of Nashville, Tennessee is not normally known for his power. He does have a respectable 146 home runs, but has been known more throughout his career for his doubles (235), runs scored (627), and his career .302 batting average.
However on Thursday, Betts tied the Major League Baseball record for most games in a career with three home runs in an 11-2 Los Angeles Dodgers win over the San Diego Padres. Betts now has recorded three home runs in a game six times in his career, and is tied for the Major League record alongside Sammy Sosa and Johnny Mize.
In the nine-run onslaught over the Padres, Betts hit his home runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings. He was the leadoff batter in the game for the Dodgers, went four for four with four runs scored and five runs batted in. Betts’s home runs in the second and fifth innings also scored shortstop Chris Taylor. Meanwhile, his home run in the fourth inning was a solo shot. As a team, the Dodgers hit six home runs. A.J. Pollock and Corey Seager each homered in the first inning, while Austin Barnes hit a home run in the fourth inning.
The fact that the Dodgers absolutely hammered Padres ace Chris Paddack was surprising. Paddack had a solid rookie season in 2019 as he had a record of nine wins and seven losses with an earned run average of 3.33. After Thursday’s loss where Paddack gave up six earned runs (and three home runs) in three innings, he saw his season earned run average rise from a very respectable 3.18 to a very poor 4.91.
The Dodgers are tied with the Colorado Rockies for first place in the National League West. Los Angeles is at 13 wins and seven losses, while Colorado is at 12 wins and six losses. The Padres are third in the National League West at 11 wins and nine losses.
