What started out as another ‘Here we go again’ game on a warm (hot) Sunday afternoon in the final 2019 regular-season home game at Dodger Stadium ended up being not only a dominating 7-4 Dodgers win, but a historic one at that.

In front of a home season-finale crowd of 47,948, the Dodgers set a new all-time single-season attendance record of 3,974,309; a mere 25,691 shy of four million. But, for the third game in a row against the division-rival Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers starting pitcher gave up an early home run – Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw in the top of the first inning on Friday night, future Dodgers ace Walker Buehler in the top of the second on Saturday night, and 2019 National League Cy Young Award hopeful Hyun-Jin Ryu in the top of the first on Sunday afternoon. Kershaw, in fact, gave up back-to-back solo home runs in his first inning of work on Friday – the first to Rockies perennial Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado and the second to perennial Dodgers pain-in-the-neck Charlie Blackmon.

But in the Friday and Sunday games, the Dodgers managed to overcome those early round-trippers, and in Sunday’s series finale did so in grand fashion; grand slam fashion, in fact. But more on that in a minute.

After allowing a first-inning solo blast to Rockies center fielder Garrett Hampson, Colorado took their 1-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning in which Ryu led off. On an 0-2 count, the (then) 11-5 Dodgers left-hander with a (then) team-best 2.35 ERA slugged his first career home run over the wall in center field off of Rockies right-handed starter Antonio Senzatela to tie the game at one. Senzatela then walked Dodgers right fielder Joc Pederson and gave up back-to-back singles to second baseman Gavin Lux and third baseman Justin Turner to load the bases (with no outs) for Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger. Rockies manager Bud Black then did what many a manager had done before – he brought in left-hander Jake McGee to face the left-handed-hitting Bellinger.

Like many a left-hander before him, it didn’t work.

On McGee’s second pitch to the potential 2019 NL MVP, a 92.5-mph four-seam fastball, Belly deposited it 394 feet over the wall in right-center field for a grand slam home run, his second of the season and fifth of his short three-year MLB career. It was Bellinger’s MLB third-best 46th home run of the season and brought his 2019 RBI total to an MLB 10th-best 110.

“His was more important,” a modest Bellinger told SportsNet LA’s Alanna Rizzo of Ryu’s game-tying solo blast. “He’s unbelievable in batting practice. Really shocking he’s never hit one before. No moment too big for him. I think we were more excited than he was.”

More excited indeed. Chants of “Babe Ryuth” were heard coming from the Dodgers dugout as the extremely popular 32-year-old Incheon, South Korea native rounded the bases.

Obviously, Bellinger’s granny was more important, as it gave the Dodgers a (then) 5-1 lead and his proved to be the game-winning run in the eventual 7-4 contest.

But wait… there’s more!

In addition to Ryu’s and Bellinger’s fifth-inning home runs, a suddenly smoking hot Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager slugged his 17th home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh and Dodgers rookie catcher Will Smith his 14th in the bottom of the eighth to drive a nail into the Rockies coffin and give the Dodgers their 100th win of the season and 59th at home.

Ryu finished the day allowing three runs on six hits to improve his record to a still team-best 12-5 and a still team-best 2.41 ERA among all Dodgers starters.

Quite a grand home season finale, wouldn’t you say?

Play Ball!

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