Field Level Media
Aug 21, 2019
A.J. Pollock and Will Smith hit home runs to jumpstart the offense, and Clayton Kershaw moved past Sandy Koufax on the Dodgers' all-time win list as Los Angeles earned a 16-3 interleague victory over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.
Max Muncy, Chris Taylor and Joc Pederson also hit home runs for the Dodgers, who have gone deep 30 times in their last eight games. Los Angeles improved to a major-league-best 49-16 at home this season.
Kershaw (13-2) went six innings, giving up three runs on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts. It was his 166th career victory, moving him out of a tie with Koufax and into sole possession of fifth on the team's all-time list.
Bo Bichette hit two home runs off Kershaw in his first matchup against the Los Angeles ace, giving him seven long balls on the year. His first multi-homer contest came in his 21st career game. He also became the first rookie to hit two home runs in a game against Kershaw.
Bichette's first home run of the night came on Kershaw's second pitch. Derek Fisher also hit a homer for the Blue Jays, with his solo shot in the third inning giving Toronto a 2-0 lead. It was Fisher's fifth of the season.
The Dodgers unleashed their offense in the bottom of the third inning against right-hander Sean Reid-Foley (2-4), delivering a five-run rally with two outs. After Pederson lined out and Kershaw struck out, Pollock started the offensive outburst with a home run, his ninth.
Six consecutive Dodgers batters reached base, with Smith hitting a two-run home run in the stretch, his 11th. Corey Seager added a two-run double in the inning, one of this three hits.
Cody Bellinger increased the Dodgers' lead to 8-2 in the fourth inning with a three-run double. He was out trying to stretch the hit into a triple, but he did reach 100 RBIs on the hit for the first time in his career.
In the sixth, after Bichette delivered his second home run of the game, Muncy hit his 32nd home run and Taylor hit his ninth in his first game back from the injured list. Taylor, who had been out since mid-July due to a fractured left forearm, had three hits and drove in four runs.
Pederson hit his 25th homer in the eighth.
--Field Level Media