Chris Taylor Crushes 3rd Career Grand Slam in Comeback Win

Chris Taylor has become one of Los Angeles’ new favorite Dodgers.  The 26-year-old right hander has exceeded everyone’s expectations and more since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners last June in exchange for Dodgers’ pitcher Zach Lee.  To say it was a good trade is an understatement.

Taylor was selected by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB draft but didn’t make his big league debut until July 24, 2014.  He only played 47 games that season and even less (37 games) the following season.  In 2016, after only playing in 2 games for Seattle, he was traded to the Dodgers without hitting a single home run for the Mariners.

Chris Taylor’s presence in Los Angeles instantly made an impact.  Maybe it was the LA atmosphere and the warm (and dry) weather.  Maybe it was his new teammates.  Maybe it was the hitting coaches.  Whatever it was, things clicked for Chris Taylor in his new Dodger uniform.  On July 15, 2016, Taylor hit his first career home run – a grand slam against the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming only the third Dodger ever to do so.

Unfortunately, Taylor’s early success was not enough to solidify a spot for him on the Dodgers’ roster and he was sent back down to AAA in Oklahoma City until being recalled April 19, 2017.  This time, Taylor was determined to prove his worth.  He hit his second career grand slam on May 8th against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which started to raise eyebrows and had experts discussing whether or not he should be on the starting roster.

Then, last night happened.  Down 8-5 in the top of the 9th, Cody Bellinger drew a key walk with the bases loaded to score a run, bringing Chris Taylor to the plate.  With 1 out and bases still loaded, Taylor got a 2-2 fastball down the middle and crushed his 8th career home run and 3rd career grand slam putting the Dodgers ahead 10-8 and, ultimately, winning the game.

To put Taylor’s success into perspective, Derek Jeter hit 260 home runs in his amazing 20-year career with the New York Yankees and only one of them was a grand slam.  The record for most grand slams (25) was set by Alex Rodriguez, who spent 22 seasons in the big leagues, in August of 2015.  Chris Taylor now has 3 career grand slams in less than 12 months with the Dodgers’ franchise in only his 4th major league season.  If Taylor keeps up his exceptionally clutch hitting there is no telling what feats he could accomplish.

BakoBoyInBlue