Cody Bellinger Bombs: Chronicling Dodgers Home Run 70

Dodgers Nation will be writing about ‘Bellinger Bombs’. The Dodgers have one of the best young power hitters in the game under contract for the foreseeable future. Writers like Sam Miller have asked the question ‘What if Cody Bellinger is going to break the all-time home run record’. As the career home runs continue to pile up, we will examine each one in greater detail. We will allow you; the fan, to savor each one as they should be. Because what’s more fun than a home run? (You can look back at the collection here). 

Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Cody Bellinger just keeps on rolling. On Friday afternoon in Denver, he homered yet again. Bellinger’s home run earned him a little baseball history, Ken Gurnick tells us.

Cody Bellinger's 6 HR and 16 RBIs in the first eight games of a season are both franchise records.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) April 5, 2019

It’s truly been like watching a player who has a cheat code. We will be hard pressed to see another beginning to a season like this for as long as any of us live. For now, let’s just soak it in and enjoy it. The summer of Bellinger may be coming.

The Home Run

At this point, @Cody_Bellinger's just not being fair. pic.twitter.com/EmW9ajfbiw

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 5, 2019

While this was the 35th time Bellinger has gone yard in a road park, it was his third at homer haven Coors Field. The blast was his seventh as a right fielder, and 20th off a left-handed pitcher. This marked just the third time he’s gone deep in a fifth inning.

The home run was his 70th career round tripper, leaving him in sole possession of 46th place on the Dodgers all-time list.

How Bellinger’s Home Run Impacted the Game

When Bellinger stepped to the plate in the 5th with no outs and two on, the Dodgers held a 3-1 lead. Moreover, it was a Coors Field game. A two-run lead in that park can evaporate in the blink of an eye. Still, the Dodgers were an 84 percent win expectancy at that time. Then, after the ball landed in the seats; they moved to a 93 percent win expectancy. Once again, Bellinger hit ‘the clincher’ in this game for all technical purposes.

Indeed, the Dodgers went on to win this game 10-6.

The Victim

Tyler Anderson was a decent take-down by Bellinger. However, this was not the first time Bellinger homered off Anderson in a game. While many Rockies fans consider Anderson to be a Cy Young caliber pitcher, he’s simply been solid throughout his career. The 29-year old southpaw is 18-23 in his career with a 4.46 ERA. Anderson allowed 3o gopher balls last season. Equally important, he makes roughly half his starts at Coors. Still, this is a nice guy for Bellinger to hit a home run off; since he’s a quality left-handed starter.

Exit Velocity, Distance, Pitch Data, and Angle

#Dodgers 6 @ #Rockies 1 [T5-0o]?Cody Bellinger homers (6): line drive to RCF (3-run)

[ 103mph • 413ft • 23°? ]Viz: pic.twitter.com/jV48ktbIPF

— Home Run Tracker (@DingerTracker) April 5, 2019

It goes without saying that Bellinger really tattooed this ball – he really hit it hard. The line drive came off the bat at 103 miles per hour and traveled 413 feet at altitude. The pitch was a 90 mile per hour fastball from Anderson, and reached a 23 degree hump at it’s highest point.

Overall Bellinger-Bomb Prominence Score

This was a really nice home run. Furthermore, it’s important to weigh the pro’s and con’s of a Bellinger Bomb when we determine it’s final score. The fact it came off a left-handed pitcher and was a pivotal three-run homer. Three-run homers are one of my favorite things on this earth. We score this one honest and true.

Dodgers Nation Overall Prominence Score: 8.0