May 21st, 2012 at 11:59 am 
by Ron Cervenka A couple of weeks ago I posted a story about outfielder Scott Van Slyke being called up to the Dodgers from Triple-A to fill in for Juan Rivera who had been placed on the DL for a leg injury. In that article (The New Kid on the Block) I mention that I had been closely following Scott Van Slyke throughout his minor league career within the Dodger organization and felt that he would one day (soon) be on the Big club which, of course, has already happened. Although Scott quickly made his presence known with several timely hits and his good defense, he finally arrived on Sunday afternoon with his clutch three-run pinch hit home run in the bottom of the 7th inning to give the Dodgers a 6-5 lead and eventual win. How do you know when you have finally arrived in the Bigs? Well, you are selected to be the post-game interviewee on national television and, more importantly, you get a pie in the face during your debut interview – which is exactly what happened to Van Slyke courtesy of team leader Matt Kemp.
Matt Kemp succeeded with his sneak attack on Scott Van Slyke to deliver a pie in the face during a nationally televised interview after Scott's game-winning three-run home run
...but without missing a beat, Van Slyke continued on with the interview. (Video capture courtesy of ESPN)
Although Van Slyke’s home run was huge and led to the Dodger victory and a three-game sweep of the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals, credit must also be shared with Dodger manager Don Mattingly who gave Van Slyke the green light to swing on a 3-0 count at an extremely crucial moment in the game – a decision that once again showed the confidence that Mattingly has in his players.
“That was cool,” Van Slyke said of Mattingly’s decision. “I don’t think he was going to pinch-hit me to walk or get a little single. I think he wanted me to do some damage.”
“That’s what he’s up there for really,” said Mattingly. “He can hit a ball in the gap and it seemed like the right thing to do. I sent him up there to hit.”
Hitting your first major league home run is a really big deal for anyone, but just to give you an idea of how well grounded this 25-year-old Dodger rookie is, Van Slyke said “Not only hitting the home run, but having it mean something and helping the team win is a little more exciting than the actual home run.”
Mattingly will soon be faced with a decision regarding Scott Van Slyke that won’t be nearly as easy as allowing him to swing 3-0; what to do with the powerful slugger when Matt Kemp and Juan Rivera return from the DL, not to mention the fact that 4th outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. is having the best season of his career. As unpleasant at this decision will be, it’s a good problem to have – unless, of course, your name is Scott Van Slyke.
Posted in 
That was huge, letting the kid swing on 3-0. Scotty’s going to have a good career if he can get the chance to play on a regular basis. At 25, he’s mature enough to handle it… not to mention the genes to succeed at this level.
Time to let Van Slyke take the 1st base glove from James Loney. That’s where he’ll have his best chance to play. His outfield range is limited, although he does have a strong arm. His defense will need to improve if he plays the infield.
I expect Rivera to be on the DL for an extended period of time.
When I spoke with Sue Falsone on Saturday, she indicated that Rivera will not require surgery and he is progressing well. That said, my guess is that he is still a good 3 or 4 weeks away from returning. This would be an exceptional time for Van Slyke to tear it up, if you get my drift.
Either Hershiser or Francona mentioned on ESPN that Van Slyke must be on his own when the count reached 3-0. They said that he must have the green light, just before the next pitch that he hit out.
I’ve read from Harold and you about him but I certainly never expected something like this to happen.
What an exciting moment for him and for all of us.