LAD feast on Padre pitching

Phil Gurnee ♦ April 3, 2017 ♦ 2 Comments

Yazmani Grandal:

• Hit two home runs, one right-handed, one left-handed becoming the first LAD to ever do that on opening day.
• He joins Raul Mondesi as the only LAD to ever hit two home runs on opening day. Mondesi did it twice.
• Joins AJ Ellis as the only LAD catcher to drive in at least three runs on opening day. Looks like a trend since Ellis did it in 2016.
• First vegetarian catcher to hit two home runs a game from both sides of the plate

Joc Pederson:

• Hit the first LAD grand slam on opening day since Eric Karros in 2000
• Drove in five runs, the first LAD to do that since Raul Mondesi in 1999.
• Drove in five runs as a Center Fielder, the last LAD to do that on opening day was Kenny Landreaux in 1983 who drove in six.
• Before Joc gets a big head, just a reminder that Matt Kemp drove in five or more runs seven times as a CF.

Player                 Date PA H HR RBI
Don Demeter      1959-06-11  5 4  2   5
Don Demeter      1959-04-21  6 3  3   6
Eric Davis       1993-05-18  5 1  1   5
Gary Thomasson   1979-08-17  4 2  1   5
Jim Wynn         1974-05-11  5 4  3   5
Ken Landreaux    1983-04-05  6 3  0   6
Matt Kemp        2008-04-26  5 1  1   5
Matt Kemp        2009-05-07  5 3  1   5
Matt Kemp        2009-08-02  5 3  1   5
Matt Kemp        2009-08-04  5 4  1   5
Matt Kemp        2011-07-29  5 2  1   5
Matt Kemp        2009-04-19  5 3  2   5
Matt Kemp        2011-06-04  6 3  2   6
Milton Bradley   2005-05-13  4 2  2   5
Pedro Guerrero   1982-07-20  4 3  1   5
Rick Monday      1978-05-19  4 2  2   6
Tommy Davis      1960-07-30  6 2  2   5
Willie Davis     1972-08-02  5 3  1   5
Willie Davis     1961-05-27  5 3  2   5
Willie Davis     1973-04-19  5 2  2   5

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 4/3/2017.

I found it strange that a plethora of Dodger center fielders had driven in five runs, a few six runs, but no CF has ever driven in seven runs. I expect Joc to remedy that.

Oh and Ryan Schimpf crushed a home run off of Kershaw. That didn’t surprise me, what surprised me is that he also hit a single and didn’t strike out once. Going to keep my eye on this kid.  Big Mac says he’s the real deal. That would be cool, baseball needs players like Ryan Schimpf.

Corey Seager:

• Spoiled the 1st inning with an error on a throw that Adrian Gonzalez used to corral
• Blasted a three-run home run

Justin Turner:

• He made an out in his first and last at-bat.
• In between,  he hit two doubles and a single

Puig:

• Got the first intentional walk as a LAD using the new guidelines where no pitches are thrown
• He ended up walking twice and hitting a double from the eight spot

Clayton Kershaw did some basic Kershaw stuff. Ho hum.