On Saturday, Thompson had his first at-bats of the year, and he excelled in them.
For a Los Angeles Dodgers team that was surprisingly lacking in the outfield a year ago, Trayce Thompson, the younger brother of Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson, was a godsend. On June 20, Thompson was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in a cash transaction. In the 74 games that followed, he hit.268/.364/.537 with 13 home runs. It was by far his most fruitful time in the MLB.
Since Thompson played so well the previous season, the Dodgers felt confident not tendering Cody Bellinger during the summer and instead starting Thompson in center field the majority of the time. The first three-homer contest in MLB history was played on Saturday, when Thompson received his first start of the new season. He beat the Arizona Diamondbacks by going 3 for 4 and driving in 8 runs. (LAD 10, ARI 1).
With a grand slam against Madison Bumgarner in the first inning on Saturday, Thompson quickly put the contest out of reach. Then, in the fifth inning, he hit a three-run home run off of Kevin Ginkel, and in the eighth inning, he hit a single shot off of Carlos Vargas. Also in the third inning, Thompson struck out.
Only four other players have multiple home runs in a game this year: Texas Rangers DH Mitch Garver, first baseman C.J. Cron of the Colorado Rockies, outfielder Adam Duvall of the Boston Red Sox, and first baseman Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves. With three home runs each, Cron and Thompson are presently tied for first place in the MLB.
The eighth player in Dodgers franchise history to record eight RBIs in a contest is Thompson. Only two players, Hall of Famer Gil Hodges and James Loney, have scored more runs while wearing a Dodgers jersey. Both Loney and Hodges had games with nine RBI.
When Mookie Betts hit three home runs for the Dodgers against the San Diego Padres in 2020, it was the team’s last three-homer contest.
