LOS ANGELES -- Monday night at Dodger Stadium was a tale of two returns for right fielder Cody Bellinger and first baseman Michael Busch: “the way we were” and “what could have been.”

For Busch, it was his first time back playing in Los Angeles since he was dealt to Chicago for two Minor Leaguers in January. Bellinger, who’s in his second season with the Cubs, made his debut as an opponent at Dodger Stadium last season.

Bellinger played six seasons with the Dodgers, winning National League Rookie of the Year in 2017, NL Championship Series MVP in ’18 and the ’19 NL MVP Award and becoming a World Series champion in ’20. Busch made his debut with L.A. in ’23, appearing in 27 games while shuttling back and forth between the Majors and Triple-A.

Both players reminded their former team just what it gave up by homering in the Cubs’ 10-4, series-opening win. Busch also contributed a pair of RBI singles and doubled in his second career four-hit game, while Bellinger added an RBI single of his own in the ninth before making a stellar catch in the bottom of the frame.

"I think it's fun,” manager Craig Counsell said of his players’ big nights in their old stomping grounds. “There's a little something for the player in there, always. Just a little bit extra."

Bellinger set the tone by putting the Cubs on the board with a two-run blast in the first inning off one-time teammate Walker Buehler. Buehler left a first-pitch four-seamer over the upper-left quadrant of the zone, and Bellinger drove it a Statcast-projected 430 feet to right field for his 16th homer of the year.

"I definitely do,” Bellinger said when asked if he felt nostalgic playing in L.A. again. “I think even just showing up to the ballpark, seeing the security guards and seeing everyone. It's a weird feeling, but it's a cool feeling. I always like coming back."

Busch’s 17th homer, which came three innings later, was nearly 100 feet shorter. He took a 2-2 high-and-away changeup 339 feet just over the low left-field wall and just inside the foul pole. It was Busch’s second career long ball at Dodger Stadium. Bellinger’s was his 81st; he is third among active players in homers at Chavez Ravine.

"[The Dodgers] did a lot for me,” said Busch. “Obviously they drafted me, but just like the Cubs, they had a bunch of guys who worked extremely hard to help players get better, help prepare them for the big leagues. So kudos to them. Very thankful. That’s a good organization with good people."

Busch’s 4-for-5 night was particularly welcome, as he has experienced something of a lull at the plate recently. In six September games, Busch had gone 1-for-18 with no extra-base hits.

"This is what happens during a season,” Counsell said prior to the game. “You go through stretches where you get pitches to hit, you miss a pitch to hit, you face pitchers that don’t give you many pitches to hit. It’s part of a season. So I think Michael’s handled that part of it extremely well. Very consistent with his process and his preparation.”

Both Busch and Bellinger have served as key contributors to the Cubs’ lineup while being in vastly different places in their careers. Busch, whose rookie status is still intact, figures to factor into Chicago’s plans for a while to come; he has another five years of team control remaining and won’t be a free agent until after the 2029 season. Bellinger’s future with the team is less certain, as his three-year contract signed ahead of Spring Training has player opt-outs available after the ’24 and ’25 seasons.

But for now, the Cubs will need more nights like this from their big hitters in the season’s final few weeks to keep their longshot postseason hopes alive. The Mets won and the Braves lost on Monday, meaning Chicago remains five games back of the third and final NL Wild Card spot with 18 games left to play.

"We had a little extended stretch of not playing to our capability, but we've shown it this past month that we're a really good team,” said Bellinger. “And you can't control what happened in the past, you try to keep on looking forward and keep on playing good baseball."