Dalton Rushing’s grand slam

Dalton Rushing turned a two-run Dodgers lead into a six-run cushion with an eighth-inning grand slam in Los Angeles’ 8-2 win over the New York Mets on April 15. (mlb.com) Rushing’s drive to center came with the bases loaded and no outs, pushed the score to 7-1, and left his bat at 105.3 miles per hour for an estimated 411 feet. (mlb.com) The homer was Rushing’s fourth of the 2026 season and the first grand slam of his Major League career. He finished 2 for 4 with four runs batted in. (espn.com) Rushing was in the lineup as the designated hitter because the Dodgers held Shohei Ohtani out of the batting order while he started on the mound. Ohtani pitched six innings, allowed one run, and struck out 10 Mets hitters. (apnews.com) The win completed a three-game sweep for the Dodgers and extended the Mets’ losing streak to seven games. Los Angeles improved to 14-4, according to ESPN’s standings shown with the recap and player pages. (espn.com) Rushing, a catcher and left-handed hitter drafted by the Dodgers in the second round in 2022 out of Louisville, reached the majors in 2025 after moving through Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. (baseball-reference.com) He entered Wednesday with 29 hits and four home runs in 53 Major League games in 2025, then opened 2026 with nine hits in his first 17 at-bats across five games. (baseball-reference.com) After the game, MLB.com reported that Ohtani had told Rushing to “hit a homer for him” before first pitch. Rushing did it late, and the swing ended the only close game in the series with one pitch. (mlb.com)