Field Level Media
Aug 30, 2020
Cody Bellinger hit the record-setting two-run blast as the Los Angeles Dodgers set a National League mark with 57 homers in a month while defeating the Texas Rangers 7-2 on Sunday afternoon at Arlington, Texas.
Corey Seager and Will Smith also went deep as the Dodgers surpassed the former record of 56 homers set by the Atlanta Braves in June 2019.
The New York Yankees hold the major league record after slugging 74 in August 2019.
Los Angeles won for the 15th time in its past 18 games, while the Rangers have dropped 12 of their last 14. The Dodgers have not lost any of their 12 series (9-0-3) this season.
Texas right-hander Kyle Gibson (1-4) served up all three homers. He gave up five runs, five hits and four walks and struck out eight in five innings.
Los Angeles left-hander Scott Alexander (2-0) was credited with the win. He recorded the final out of the sixth inning and pitched a perfect seventh.
Seager started the power display as the second batter of the game when he went deep to center field off Gibson for his ninth homer. Smith hit a solo shot in the second, his fourth, as the Dodgers tied the monthly record.
Gibson hit Max Muncy with a pitch with two outs in the third. Bellinger stepped into the box and smacked a first-pitch curveball 375 feet into the stands in right, and the record-breaking blast made it 4-0. It was Bellinger's 10th of the season.
Texas got on the board in the bottom of third when right-hander Tony Gonsolin uncorked a wild pitch with the bases loaded.
The Dodgers answered with a run in the top of the fourth when Mookie Betts delivered a two-out single that caromed off the glove of Gibson en route to traveling into right-center field.
The Rangers pulled within 5-2 in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly to center by Jeff Mathis.
Betts hit a sacrifice fly to center in the sixth to push the margin back to four.
Seager drilled a run-scoring single to right with two outs in the eighth to make it 7-2.
Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (hamstring) sat out his second straight game.
--Field Level Media