After an un-Gonsolin-like shaky start against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Tuesday afternoon, the real Tony Gonsolin showed up … the one with the (then) MLB-best 8-0 record.

Make that 9-0.

After giving up solo home runs in each of his first two innings against the NL Central last place Reds, the 28-year-old Vacaville, CA native and Dodgers ninth-round draft pick in 2016 out of Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, CA became the Tony Gonsolin that Dodgers fans know and love.

“Wasn’t finding the strike zone as often as I would like to early, had a better feel for it later in the game,” Gonsolin said, after the Dodgers 8-2 pounding of the Reds. “I feel like I came out there a little uncomfortable, settled in there in that third-inning-ish, I felt more confident with my stuff, started throwing more strikes.”

Indeed he did, with 58 of his 87 total pitches being strikes (66.666%).

“It was good to see, first day in quite some time with some humidity,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the National League’s likely starter for the upcoming 2022 All-Star Game to be held at Dodger Stadium on July 19. “I don’t know if that had something to do with his split(er) today as far as the command of it. Weathered some traffic, gave up a couple homers, but man, I thought he was fine. Obviously wasn’t as efficient as he has been recently.

“For me, just looking out, made him be on regular (rotation) next couple times, so to kind of save an inning here to get him ready for his next start made sense,” Roberts added. “But, no, again, Tony just managed the outing, which was really good to see.”

Of course, pitching alone doesn’t win ballgames, it also takes some good offense; and man, did the Dodgers have some good offense on Tuesday. Roberts’ team amassed 17 hits, including four by Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner, to maintain his plus-.300 batting average (.310). He is also the overall leading vote-getter for that aforementioned 2022 All-Star Game.

But Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman also “had a game,” (as they say), going 3-for-4 and a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.

“Freddie obviously had a huge night, Trea had a big night. So, across the board, I thought that we had some – up and down the line-up – really good at-bats,” Roberts said. “Took walks when we needed and put up a lot of hits tonight.”

Among those hits was a first-inning two-out solo home run by Dodgers catcher Will Smith – a 366-foot shot to straightaway left field – to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead.

But getting back on point and like a fine wine, Tony Gonsolin just keeps getting better with age.

…or outing.

Play Ball!

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