LOS ANGELES — In his still-young career, rookie outfielder James Outman has been no stranger to big moments. The latest came on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium against the Twins in the form of a game-winning grand slam.
The decisive swing gave the Dodgers a 7-3 victory and helped secure a sixth straight series win for Los Angeles.
Entering the game, Outman was in the midst of a mini-slump, having gone hitless in his last 12 at-bats with six strikeouts. He flied out in his first at-bat, then ended the 0-fer with a single to lead off the fourth, ultimately coming around to score on a Mookie Betts single.
But Outman’s big hit came in the seventh. The Dodgers entered the frame down by a run, and had just retied it on Miguel Vargas’ bases-loaded walk when Outman stepped into the box against reliever Emilio Pagán. Outman swung at the first pitch he saw, a 95.5 mph four-seamer down in the zone, and sent it a Statcast-projected 407 feet to center field. It was his second grand slam of the season, the first coming on April 20 against the Cubs’ Michael Fulmer in Chicago.
Outman has had a strong start to the year overall, earning NL Rookie of the Month honors for April after slashing .292/.376/.615 with seven homers. That total set the Dodgers’ franchise record for most by a rookie in March/April.
