Thirty-one-year-old Dodgers third baseman Chris Taylor hit a home run in Game-5 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.

And then he hit another one.

And then he hit another one.

Thirty-three-year-old Dodgers left fielder AJ Pollock also hit a home run in Game-5 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.

And then he hit another one.

For the seventh consecutive time this postseason and with their backs to the proverbial wall facing elimination, the Dodgers won. In fact, they could have won on Taylor’s six RBIs on the night or Pollock’s four alone, as the Dodgers pounded the NL East Division champion Atlanta Braves by a score of 11-2 in front of an ecstatic Dodger Stadium crowd of 51,363 to now make it a three-games-to-two NLCS instead of … well, you know.

“When our backs are against the wall, we play our best and fight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of his team’s historic night. “That’s just not an ideal spot to be in. Even right now, elimination game in (Saturday’s upcoming) Game-6, but I guess it brings out the best in us.”

“We still got our backs against the wall, so we gotta keep going,” echoed Pollock.

But the Dodgers 11 runs on 17 hits are only half of the story in Thursday’s historic game.

As he has done numerous times this season and much to the angst of Dodgers fans, Roberts had said earlier that Game-5 would be yet another ‘bullpen game.’ And while Roberts is blessed with one of the best bullpens in all of baseball, bullpen games are iffy at best.

But not on this night.

Popular 33-year-old mariachi-loving right-hander Joe Kelly was called upon to open Thursday’s win-or-go-home Game-5, but had to leave the game with two outs in the first inning for what was later called ‘right bicep tightness,’… but not before giving up a two-run home run to always-dangerous Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman with one out in the top of the first inning to stake the Braves to an early 2-0 lead before the seats were even warm.

Little did anyone know at the time that those would be the only runs the Braves would score because of the absolutely brilliant job the six relievers did after Kelly’s misfortune.

“We got the best bullpen in the league, and they showed it tonight,” Taylor said after the game.

Although all of the Dodgers relievers were outstanding, 23-year-old right-hander Brusdar Graterol stole the show by retiring all six Braves batters he faced in order (striking out two of them) – on 14 total pitches.

“Our guys have given everything they’ve got – their hearts, their sweat – everything they got,” 33-year-old right-hander Blake Treinen said. “Brusdar looked amazing tonight. Going two innings really lengthened us, (27-year-old right-hander Evan) Phillips being ready, unfortunate with Joe leaving early like that. And (25-year-old left-hander Alex) Vesia coming in and getting some big outs, too.

“It’s just great. It doesn’t matter how we get punched in the face, we just continue to go out and compete and get outs. I think we’re just ready for whatever moment comes next,” added Treinen, who himself tossed two shutout innings allowing only one hit.

But for as good (great) as the Dodgers bullpen was, it is impossible not to marvel at what Chris Taylor did on this night. After his third home run, Dodger Stadium was rocking to a chant of “C-T-3” until the Virginia Beach, VA native and fifth-round draft pick in 2012 by the Seattle Mariners out of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville gave fans a curtain call.

“That was my first (curtain call). Anytime you do something cool, when you do it at Dodger Stadium, it makes it that much sweeter,” said Taylor. “This is a special place. These fans are awesome. For it to happen for the first time on this stage in front of this crowd is a special moment.”

“That’s something that he’s going to tell his kids. The highlights are going to be there the rest of his life,” future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols said. “A moment like this doesn’t happen every day. I mean, it’s hard to hit one home run, imagine three, especially in the postseason. This is not easy. And that’s why there are not that many guys that have done it. Watching Chris doing that was really special. I was actually rooting for four.”

Taylor joins Pujols as the only two players in postseason history with three home runs, six RBI and four hits in the same postseason game.

The best-of-seven NLCS returns to Truist Field in Atlanta for Game-6 on Saturday following Friday’s off day.

Will the Dodgers stave off elimination for a record eighth consecutive time?

Stay tuned…

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