Rushing’s go‑ahead grand slam

Dalton Rushing turned a close game into an 8-2 Dodgers win on April 15, lining an eighth-inning grand slam against the New York Mets. (espn.com) The slam came off Mets closer Devin Williams with the Dodgers already up 3-1, and it pushed the lead to 7-1 in one swing. Major League Baseball’s video page listed the drive at 411 feet with a 105.3 mile-per-hour exit velocity. (mlb.com) Rushing was batting in Shohei Ohtani’s usual designated hitter spot because Ohtani was limited to pitching after getting hit in the back of his right shoulder on April 13. Ohtani still gave Los Angeles six innings, one earned run and 10 strikeouts on 95 pitches. (espn.com) The game was played on Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium, where the Dodgers improved to 14-4 and completed a three-game sweep of New York. The Mets fell to 7-12 and lost their seventh straight game. (espn.com) Rushing is 25, bats left-handed, and was the Dodgers’ second-round pick out of Louisville in the 2022 draft. He made his Major League Baseball debut on May 15, 2025, and entered this game with five home runs in 147 career at-bats. (baseball-reference.com) His early 2026 numbers are small-sample loud: ESPN listed him at 9-for-17 with four home runs and eight runs batted in after Wednesday’s game. Against the Mets, he finished 2-for-4 with a double, the grand slam and four runs batted in. (espn.com) The Dodgers got on the board before Rushing’s swing, with Hyeseong Kim hitting a two-run homer in the second inning and Teoscar Hernández adding a solo shot in the sixth. Kyle Tucker followed Rushing with another home run in the eighth as Los Angeles finished with four homers and 12 hits. (espn.com) For one night, the Dodgers won without Ohtani in the batting order and with Rushing delivering the biggest hit instead. The grand slam was his first in the majors, and it was the swing that put the game away. (espn.com)