Field Level Media
Jun 3, 2021
Cody Bellinger had a grand slam and six RBIs during an 11-run first inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled to a 14-3 victory at home Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Dodgers sent 14 batters to the plate in the inning and didn't make their first out until No. 9 hitter Walker Buehler struck out. Los Angeles had scored six times by then.
It was the most runs in any inning for the Dodgers since moving to Los Angeles in 1958 and the largest inning since the Brooklyn Dodgers scored 15 in one frame in 1952. The Dodgers scored 11 runs in the first inning of Game 3 in the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves last season.
Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez (3-5) recorded just two outs, giving up 10 runs on six hits with four walks and one strikeout. The outing set a Dodger Stadium record for most runs allowed by a starter in less than a full inning of work.
The Cardinals actually held a 1-0 lead on a Paul Goldschmidt home run three batters into the game. It was Goldschmidt's seventh of the season and 33rd all-time against the Dodgers.
Justin Turner drove in the Dodgers' first run in the opening inning on a single and Bellinger followed with a two-run single to give the Dodgers the lead for good.
Gavin Lux had an RBI single for a 4-1 lead and Zach McKinstry's two-run single made it 6-1. After Buehler struck out, Mookie Betts singled for a 7-1 lead.
Bellinger's grand slam, just over the wall in right, made it 11-1. It was the first home run of the season for Bellinger, who spent 46 days on the injured list with a hairline fracture in his lower left leg.
Buehler (4-0) gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts. In addition to Goldschmidt's home run, Dylan Carlson also went deep off Buehler for his sixth of the season.
The Dodgers took two of three against the Cardinals and went 3-4 on their just-completed homestand. The Cardinals went 5-5 on a 10-game trip to Chicago (White Sox), Arizona and Los Angeles.
--Field Level Media