I hope you’re paying attention Dodger fans, because we are witnessing history. Never before in the 134-year history of the Dodger franchise has a player reached nine career home runs faster than Dodgers rookie sensation Cody Bellinger, doing so in only his 24th major league game.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and immediately after 2016 NL Rookie of the Year Corey Seager smashed his seventh home run of the season – a two-run shot to left-center field – Bellinger followed with a solo home run into the visitors bullpen in right field. It was Bellinger’s second home run in as many days and his ninth of the season to give him sole possession of the team lead ahead of Yasiel Puig‘s eight home runs and tied him with Puig for the team lead in RBIs with 24.

Opposing teams who mistakenly believe that the Dodgers cannot hit left-handed pitching are beginning to pay the price for this misconception. Bellinger absolutely crushed a 94-MPH fastball off of Marlins left-hander Jarlin Garcia on Saturday night before a sold-out Dodger Stadium crowd.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Bellinger batted third in Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ batting order on Saturday night, the only position in the lineup he had not yet been in and did so only because Justin Turner, the guy who normally occupies the number three hole, is on the 10-day disabled list for a strained right hamstring. Bellinger rewarded his manager by going 2-for-4, with a sixth-inning single in addition to his seventh-inning home run.

“I’m not worried about Cody as far as his head and where he hits in the order,” Roberts told reporters after the game. “He’s put together very good at-bats and I think he’s earned it.”

Bellinger expressed his gratitude for the confidence that his manager has in him but admits that he is happy wherever he is in the lineup.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming up. I was just trying to be a spark and help win some games,” Bellinger said. “Wherever they need me, I’ll be, defensively or offensively. But it was pretty cool batting third.”

Bellinger’s record-setting blast came off of Marlins left-hander Jarlin Garcia and his nine home runs ties him with Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Josh Bell for the National League lead in home runs among rookies, this in spite of having 50 fewer at-bats and playing in 19 fewer games than Bell.

But wait, there’s more!

Bellinger also leads all NL rookies (with a minimum 90 plate appearances) in batting average (.300), on-base percentage (.370), slugging percentage (.678), runs scored (20) and RBIs (24). He also boasts a team-high OPS of 1.048.

There are undoubtedly some who believe that the 6′-4″ / 210-pound Scottsdale, Arizona native and son of former New York Yankee and Anaheim Angel Clay Bellinger is only going through a hot streak right now and there may indeed be some truth to this. However, having followed Cody since he was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona and especially when he arrived at nearby Rancho Cucamonga with the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Quakes, I can assure you firsthand that “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

During his one season at Rancho (in 2015), he finished second in the highly-competitive California League in home runs (30) and led the league in RBIs (103), runs scored (97), and was third in total bases (257). He also played a key role in the Quakes winning the 2015 Cal League Championship in a three game sweep over the San Jose Giants – the Advanced Single-A affiliate of those Giants.

It would be naive to think that Bellinger will not slump somewhere along the way in his early MLB career. But to this point, he has given no indication of doing so anytime soon. It is also naive to think that major league pitchers will not make adjustments in an attempt to find his weaknesses. But again to this point, he has proven to be very disciplined at the plate and when he strikes out, it is usually on pitches that would have been called strikes anyway had he not swung at them … just as he did two years ago when he absolutely destroyed Cal League pitching.

Yes, pay attention, Dodger fans, because history is unfolding right before our very eyes.