Los Angeles Dodgers: Joc Pederson fueling home run surge

The Los Angeles Dodgers have set a new National League record for home runs in a season, thanks in large part to a recent offensive surge by Joc Pederson.

In August, the Los Angeles Dodgers had their highest home run total of the month with 51. When the calendar turned to September, the Dodgers didn’t let up and have hit 16 home runs since the first of the month.

Fueling that power surge is outfielder Joc Pederson. In his last seven at-bats, Pederson has six extra-base hits, five of which are home runs, while driving in seven runs. In those seven at-bats, Pederson has raised his batting average from .234 to .245 while also raising his slugging average from .497 to .535.

In a word, Joc Pederson is simply murdering the ball. His power surge came from a familiar Dodger source, it started in Arizona where former Dodger Andre Ethier lent Pederson one of his bats from his playing days.

Pederson promptly hit an extra-inning go-ahead solo home run to help the Dodgers win the finale of a four-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Pederson started the very next game against the Colorado Rockies with a home run his second consecutive in as many at-bats.

Pederson would then come close to a third in a row but settled for a double that hit the top of the lower wall in right field.

Pederson would not be denied in his next at-bat launching his second home run of the game his first multi-home run game since May 10th.

Pederson got a scare on defense when the same lower wall that kept him in the park, gave him a bruised abdomen on a great catch that knocked him out of the game.

After taking a night off to heal, Pederson started right off where he finished hitting another first-inning home run against the Rockies. In his very next at-bat, Pederson hit another home run, putting himself and the Dodgers in the record books.

Pederson could cement his legacy with another strong performance in the playoffs. As the regular season winds down, opposing pitchers will have to deal with Joc Pederson’s hot bat.

Pederson’s home run was his sixth extra-base hit in six consecutive at-bats, tying the National League mark set by former Rockies outfielder Larry Walker in1996. Pederson’s home run also set a new National League record for team home runs in a season, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 250th breaking the Houston Astros 2000 record of 249.

Pederson’s sudden power stroke gives Dodger fans hope that he can continue his amazing hot streak in October. We have seen that Pederson is not afraid of the spotlight of the playoffs having hit three home runs in the 2017 World Series.