If you think that just because they clinched the AL West division already, the Los Angeles Dodgers would take the foot off the gas, you were wrong.
Los Angeles has won four games in a row after beating the great Merrill Kelly and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.
Joey Gallo, a trade acquisition before the deadline, opened the scoring with a home run.
It wasn’t your regular home run, however.
“JOEY GALLO OBLITERATED THIS BALL,” the Dodgers Twitter account posted, and we can’t think of a better way to put it ourselves.
JOEY GALLO OBLITERATED THIS BALL. pic.twitter.com/zZTQYhq0Pp
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 20, 2022
Gallo hit the ball to right field, and it was this close to leaving the stadium altogether.
It left his bat at 110 mph, and it traveled a projected distance of 437 feet.
Gallo may swing and miss a ton, but when he hits the ball, good things usually happen.
This is why the Dodgers gave up quality pitching prospect Clayton Beeter to get Gallo on deadline day.
The Move To Los Angeles Has Helped Him
Gallo already has more Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in Dodger blue, with 0.6, than what he had in pinstripes (0.3) in 49 more games.
His batting average with the Dodgers is not too high, at .187, but he is slugging .451 compared to the .339 he had in the Bronx.
According to wRC+, he was a below average hitter with the Yanks (82) and an above-average one with the Dodgers, with a 110 wRC+ (league average is 100).
Gallo has severe issues to make consistent contact, but the Dodgers worked with him to maximize the impact of his contact and it’s paying off.
His upside may be capped as long as he is striking out 38 percent of the time, but he can still contribute if his team has faith in him and gives him the tools to succeed.
That is happening in Los Angeles.
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