Rest day to best day: Belli rips walk-off HR

LOS ANGELES -- Saturday started as a day off for Cody Bellinger. It ended with him being the Dodgers’ walk-off hero.

With two outs in the ninth inning and the game tied, Bellinger took a hanging 3-1 cutter from Cubs righty Keegan Thompson 422 feet to center field. Bellinger’s second homer of the year gave L.A. a 3-2 victory at Dodger Stadium, the club’s first walk-off win of the season.

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“I knew I hit it well, but I haven't hit too many [homers] this year, so I didn't really know for sure,” said Bellinger, who entered as a defensive substitution in the seventh inning. “But I knew it was my best bullet of the year, for sure.”

The primary culprit for Bellinger’s low homer tally is time missed because of injury. The former National League MVP has played in only 20 of the Dodgers’ 77 games in 2021. Less than a week after the season started, Bellinger landed on the 10-day injured list with a hairline fracture in his left fibula and was out of action for nearly a month and a half. After returning for 12 games, Bellinger went back on the IL with a left hamstring injury. He returned on Wednesday.

While a .225/.353/.352 slash line in 85 plate appearances doesn’t come close to what Bellinger is capable of, manager Dave Roberts likes what he has been seeing at the plate from his center fielder over the past few days -- and he’s hopeful that Saturday’s performance could be the start of a real turnaround.

“Sometimes it's just that one at-bat, one homer, that can really get you going,” said Roberts.

Bellinger said he first knew he’d be entering the game a half-inning before he did, noting that the nature of playing in a league with no designated hitter means that one always has to be prepared to play even when one isn’t in the starting lineup. That flexibility and willingness to jump in when needed earned praise from his skipper.

Roberts was also quick to point out that, even as Bellinger works his way toward better offensive results, his contributions in anchoring the Dodgers’ outfield defense cannot be ignored. Bellinger led all qualified fielders in outs above average last season, making his glove a valuable asset that, on its own, can change the complexion of a game.

“He has not missed a beat [defensively],” said Roberts. “I think that people are quick to talk about the offense, but the defense, what he does for us in center field, just makes everybody around him better.”

But the ninth inning was a reminder of just what Bellinger is capable of on the other side of the ball. With 123 homers through his first four Major League seasons, Bellinger has the kind of power than has the ability to ignite a crowd on any night.

Perhaps, though, it was the crowd that helped ignite Bellinger on Saturday. The ninth-inning home run was Bellinger’s first in front of a full-capacity stadium since 2019. The energy that comes from a packed house, especially after a season of games in front of cardboard cutouts, is palpable.

“It’s so good to have them back,” Bellinger said of the full-sized crowd. “It’s funny, man. It feels good to have them back, and it feels a lot better with them in the stands -- way better.”

The joy Bellinger felt was evident in the massive grin he sported as he rounded the bases and headed for home. Roberts said that he hasn’t seen that kind of expression from Bellinger since the Dodgers won the World Series last October.

“He expects a lot from himself, and to pick us up like that as big as he did today, I think that he feels good about himself and feels like he contributed on the offensive side,” said Roberts. “It's good to see him smile.”