Los Angeles Dodgers' Historic Home Run Explosion Leads to Blowout Win Over Rangers

Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández and Jason Heyward all went yard in the sixth inning on Tuesday night, making Los Angeles Dodgers history in the process.

Jun 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Jason Heyward (23) celebrates with left fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Dodger Stadium. | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers were already blowing out the Texas Rangers by the time the sixth inning rolled around, but that didn't stop them from putting on a home run derby for their home crowd.

Leading 7-1 with one on and one out, designated hitter Shohei Ohtani delivered with a 433-foot rocket to right-center. It was Ohtani's 16th home run of the season, as well as the 24th home run of his career with an exit velocity over 114 miles per hour – second only to Giancarlo Stanton since 2019, per MLB.com's Sarah Langs.

First baseman Freddie Freeman then made it back-to-back homers with a 383-foot solo shot to left-center, giving him nine bombs so far in 2024.

Shohei and Freddie go back-to-back! pic.twitter.com/IPq4sBaZ6y

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 12, 2024

Teoscar Hernández, the reigning NL Player of the Week, blasted a two-run home run to left-center two batters later. To cap it off, Jason Heyward crushed a 415-foot fly ball to right that plated two more runs.

That's our NL Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/NsLyB4lulA

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 12, 2024

WHAT JOE SAID. 😳 pic.twitter.com/FfJvdbfvH1

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 12, 2024

That made it four home runs in the sixth inning, extending LA's lead from six to 13 in that frame alone.

According to Langs, that tied the Dodgers' franchise record for most home runs in a single inning. They previously achieved the feat once in 2000, once in 2006, twice in 2016 and once in 2021.

This marked the first time Los Angeles had ever hit four home runs in a sixth inning.

the Dodgers’ 4 HR in the 6th inning are tied for the most in an inning in franchise history, with:

9/29/2021 8th
9/5/2016 5th
8/22/2016 5th
9/18/2006 9th
8/8/2000 4th https://t.co/8rKy0m8xMG

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 12, 2024

The Dodgers now lead the National League with 91 home runs through 68 games this season. They have also scored the most runs in baseball at 346, in addition to leading MLB with a .779 team OPS.

Los Angeles' 15-2 win over the defending World Series champions lifted them to 42-26 on the season. The Dodgers own a 7.5-game lead over the San Diego Padres for first place in the NL West, and FanGraphs' projections already give them a 95.7% chance of winning the division for the 11th time in 12 years.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.