Maybe it was karma.
Thursday, when baseballs were hopping around Coors Field like microwave popcorn and Dodgers great Gil Hodges was placed on the veteran committee’s ballot for the Hall of Fame, Dodgers part-time first baseman James Loney made history.
Loney, 22, drove in nine runs, tying Hodges for the Dodgers’ franchise record. Loney was 4-for-5 with two homers, including a second-inning grand slam, and a double. He entered the game with eight RBIs and one homer this season.
It was the most RBIs by a major-league player this season and the most since the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez drove in 10 on April 26, 2005, against the Angels at Yankee Stadium. Loney’s ribbies were the most by a National League player since the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa did it on Aug. 10, 2002, at Coors. Hodges knocked in nine runs for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves on Aug. 31, 1950, at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.
Asked whether he was impressed by his history-making performance, Loney said: “A little bit, but it was the guys getting on base for me that get credit.”
Said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle: “When you bring up Gil Hodges, that’s pretty special. You don’t see that every day.”
FOOTNOTES: Jeff Baker continues to swing a sizzling bat. The rookie right fielder went 3-for-6 with two doubles and an RBI. During the 10-game homestand, he hit .412 (14-for-34). Of his past 17 hits, 13 have gone for extra bases. … Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer, his 33rd homer of the season. With three games left, he has 32 RBIs in September, matching his club record set last year. … Rookie right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez makes his first major-league start Sunday in Chicago.
