Former Dodger Farmhand Gets Last Laugh with Knockout Blow vs. LA
Things looked to be going well for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday evening.
They started off the first of a three-game series in Cleveland with a 3-2 lead at the end of six innings. Not a comfortable lead per se, but an advantage that an improved Dodger bullpen should be able to hold onto against a Cleveland Guardians team that sits six games under .500 in the worst division in baseball.
That was until a disastrous 7th inning where Cleveland roared back to score five runs in the frame to take a 7-3 lead, a game that would end with the Guardians victorious 8-3.
And the knockout blow in that crucial 7th inning?
That was delivered courtesy of a former Dodger minor leaguer.
The Dodgers could've gotten out of that inning only down by a run, until Kole Calhoun hit a three-run home run that proved to be a gut punch.
And as for Calhoun, he may be familiar to Dodger fans.
His most notable time in the major leagues came with the Los Angeles Angels, where he proved to be a power hitting outfielder over the course of eight seasons.
The 35-year-old eventually found his way to the Dodgers though, playing for the team's Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.
He was productive in OKC, hitting to the tune of an .898 OPS with five home runs and 28 RBI over 35 games.
But he was traded to Cleveland earlier in August for cash considerations in a swap that went under the radar.
Calhoun didn't lie under any radars on Tuesday though, and he made his presence more than felt in the series opener against his former organization.
The Dodgers will look to get back to the form that saw them win 13 out of their previous 14 games on Wednesday night at 4:10 PM.
