July 10, 2021: Dodgers hit 8 home runs and score 22 runs in blowout of Diamondbacks

The Dodgers, who had dropped four of their past five contests, had a record of 54-35 and were trailing the San Francisco Giants by two games in the tightly contested NL West Division when play started. The Diamondbacks were in the middle of one of the worst seasons in franchise history and were in last place, 30 games off the pace with a record of 26-64. Through it all, the Diamondbacks endured a 17-game losing streak, another 13-game skid, and a record 24-game road drought.2

Left-hander Caleb Smith was making his ninth start of the season for the Diamondbacks, his eighth since joining the rotation in June. He was 2-5 with a 3.45 ERA. He was opposed by right-hander Walker Buehler, who was enjoying a breakout season. He was 8-1 with a 2.49 ERA.

Buehler held the Diamondbacks scoreless in the top of the first as he struck out three while navigating his way around a one-out double by Pavin Smith and two-out walk to Christian Walker.

The Dodgers jumped on Smith from the outset. Mookie Betts led off with a walk and advanced to second on a groundball single by Chris Taylor that found its way through the hole between third base and shortstop. After Justin Turner flied out to short right field, Max Muncy lined a double down the right-field line that scored Betts and Taylor. Albert Pujols struck out for the second out of the inning before Cody Bellinger hit a two-run home run to deep left, his fourth of the season. A.J. Pollock followed by hitting his second homer of the season, a drive that landed deep into the left-field pavilion. Austin Barnes flied out to David Peralta in left-center to end the inning. At the end of the first, the score was 5-0.

Buehler needed only 11 pitches to get through a one-two-three second inning, bringing a battered Smith back out to the mound after he threw 35 pitches in the first. Buehler helped his own cause with a line-drive single to right-center. Betts and Taylor both walked to load the bases with no outs and Turner sent a 3-and-2 pitch over the wall in left-center for a grand slam, ending the night for Smith. Turner’s blast extended the Dodgers’ lead to 9-0 before many of the traditionally late-arriving Los Angeles fans had settled into their seats.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo called on right-hander Matt Peacock to relieve Smith. Peacock, who was making his 21st appearance of the season, had a record of 3-6 with a 5.59 ERA. He retired the next three Dodgers hitters to end the second inning.

Buehler and Peacock traded scoreless innings in the third and fourth. Buehler tossed a scoreless top of the fifth before the Diamondbacks turned to left-hander Alex Young to replace Peacock, who had been lifted for a pinch-hitter in the top of the inning. Young, who hadn’t pitched in 12 days, was 2-6 with a 5.82 ERA.

Young walked Pollock to start the bottom of the fifth. After getting Barnes to ground into a 4-6-3 double play, he struck out Buehler to end the inning.

Buehler continued to make short work of the Diamondbacks and retired the side in order in the top of sixth before turning it over to the Dodgers bullpen. In the bottom of the sixth, Young navigated around a leadoff single by Betts and a one-out single by Turner to keep the score at 9-0.

Right-hander Phil Bickford, whom the Dodgers selected off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers in late May, was a dependable middle reliever during the 2021 season. In 21 games he had a 2.25 ERA. Bickford pitched a perfect seventh before the Dodgers erupted once again.

Young returned to the mound for his third inning of work in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Pollock singled through the hole on the left side of the infield. Barnes was hit by a pitch and Matt Beaty, who was now playing right field and hitting in Buehler’s spot in the order, beat out a dribbler back to the mound to load the bases before Betts hit his 12th home run of the season and the Dodgers’ second grand slam of the evening. The score now stood at 13-0.

However, the Dodgers were not done. With two outs, Peralta misplayed a fly ball off the bat of Zach Reks, allowing Reks to get to second. Zach McKinstry followed with a two-run homer to deep left-center, his seventh of the season. Pujols then crushed his 12th homer of the season, to left-center, to make the score 16-0. Bellinger grounded out to first to end the inning.

Left-hander Garrett Cleavinger started the eighth inning for the Dodgers. He was 2-3 with a 1.80 ERA.

The Diamondbacks finally got on the board when second baseman Andrew Young, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Peacock in the top of the fifth, led off the inning with his fifth home run of the season. Cleavinger retired the next three hitters, striking out two of them.

Leading 16-1, the Dodgers were not yet finished. The Diamondbacks called on right-hander Jordan Weems, who five days earlier had been claimed off waivers from the Oakland A’s, to pitch the eighth and hopefully finish the game for the Arizona.

Pollock greeted Weems with a home run to left, his second of the game. Barnes followed with a walk, Beaty singled to right, and Betts walked to load the bases. Gavin Lux, who had replaced Taylor at shortstop in the top of the fourth, hit a bases-clearing triple to increase the Dodgers’ lead to 20-1. After Weems struck out Reks for the inning’s first out, veteran outfielder Josh Reddick came off the bench to pitch. It was Reddick’s first and only appearance as a pitcher in a major-league game.

After McKinstry was retired on a liner to right, Pujols hit a two-run homer to left. It was his second home run of the game, the 675th of his career, and the Dodgers’ record-tying eighth of the night. Cleavinger, batting for himself, doubled to left, the first major-league hit of his career. After a walk to Pollock, Barnes grounded into an unassisted force out at second. The score was now 22-1.

Rookie right-hander Jake Reed came in to pitch the ninth inning for the Dodgers. He had pitched in only three prior major-league games and had a 9.00 ERA. Reed retired the Diamondbacks in order, ending the game.

The Dodgers’ eight home runs matched a franchise record.3 The grand slams by Turner and Betts marked the second time the Dodgers had hit two grand slams in a game that season.4 It was the first time in major-league history that a team had two games in a season with two grand slams.5 Add the two sets of back-to-back home runs and it was a historic night.

The Dodgers were the first team in baseball history to hit eight home runs, two grand slams, and two separate sets of back-to-back home runs in the same game. To put that in historical perspective, no team has ever accomplished those three things in a season, let alone all in one game.6

LA’s 22 runs matched a Los Angeles Dodgers record for runs scored.7 It was also the most runs scored by the team at Dodger Stadium. The franchise record for runs scored is 25.

The winning pitcher was Buehler. He improved his record to 9-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.36 on his way to being named to the NL All-Star team for the first time. Smith took the loss and dropped to 2-6. The time of the game was 3 hours and 19 minutes.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author relied on Baseball-reference.com, Retrosheet.org, and Baseball-Almanac.com.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN202107100.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2021/B07100LAN2021.htm

Notes

1 The Dodgers had scored multiple runs in just four different innings in their previous five games.

2 Doug Padilla, “Dodgers Break Multiple Records in 22-1 Rout of Diamondbacks,” NBCLosAngeles.com, July 21, 2021, retrieved on September 9, 2023, from https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/dodgers-break-multiple-records-in-22-1-rout-of-diamondbaacks/2635627/.

3 The Dodgers hit eight home runs in a game on two previous occasions. On May 23, 2002, they hit eight home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park and on March 28, 2019 (Opening Day), also against the Arizona Diamondbacks, at Dodger Stadium.

4 Pollock and Beaty hit grand slams against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 2 that year.

5 Padilla.

6 Padilla.

7 The Dodgers scored 22 runs on July 21, 2001, against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.