Gavin Lux received a singular at-bat in his first postseason game on Thursday night and he made it count. By sending a home run over the right-center field fence, he became the youngest player in Dodgers’ history to hit a postseason home run.
He was not phased by the moment as we have become accustomed to with our rookies as we watch on.
Although the home run only provided an insurance run to the final score, it provided a lot more than that — confidence. Lux will most likely be starting at second base against Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg and to get the monkey off his back in his first postseason at-bat is fantastic.
The Home Run
The home run wasn’t majestic, but it was an absolute shot. It came off the bat at 108 miles per hour and traveled 388 feet to right-center field. It came against former Giants reliever Hunter Strickland.
#Nationals 0 @ #Dodgers 5 [B8-1o]:
Gavin Lux homers (1): line drive to RCF (solo)
Hit: 388.26ft, 107.99mph, 20.56°?
Pitch: 94.8mph Four-Seam Fastball (RHP Hunter Strickland, 1) pic.twitter.com/y8CJp0b4Mk
— Home Run Tracker (@DingerTracker) October 4, 2019
Not everyone can say they are hitting home runs in the MLB postseason at the age of 21, but Gavin Lux can. Wow. That is one Gavin Lux will remember for the rest of his life.
The Ball
The best part of all of it was that Gavin Lux was able to get the ball back. All it took was a couple swag bags and an autographed ball to be able to retrieve a piece of the day he will always remember.
Postscript: Lux got the ball back. A couple fans got a couple swag bags and an autographed ball in exchange. https://t.co/wgshL6p2US
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) October 4, 2019
Here is the moment of the exchange, courtesy of Michael J. Duarte of NBC 4 LA:
Gavin Lux meets the fan that caught his first career postseason home run (in his first postseason at-bat). #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/rfmrmD3v5J
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) October 4, 2019
In a September series with the Baltimore Orioles, Gavin Lux hit his first career round-tripper and it happened to be caught by a Dodger fan on the other coast. Lux reportedly got the ball back in exchange for a signed bat and two signed baseballs.
The Moment
Here is a video of the fantastic display:
When I was 21, the coolest thing I did was get my braces off. Gavin Lux is launching postseason homers. pic.twitter.com/dB8QCLtVX2
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) October 4, 2019
Overall
It was a fantastic night and Lux’s excellent performance provided the cherry on top of it all.
