“He’s Babe Ruth against us" - Dave Roberts concedes huge compliment for 'unbelievable' Christian Walker after Dodgers rout
The Los Angeles Dodgers must hate the sight of Arizona Diamondbacks' Christian Walker. The Diamondbacks' first baseman continued his rampage against the NL West leaders in the rubber game on Thursday to help his team clinch a series victory.
Dodger Stadium might be the stomping ground for the Blues but Christian Walker has made it his backyard. The two-time Gold Glove winner continued his home-run spree against the Dodgers with a solo home run in the first inning to double the Snakes' lead following Joc Pederson's solo shot earlier.
It was Walker's sixth home run in six games at Dodger Stadium. However, the 33-year-old wasn't done as he added a two-run homer in the third inning to silence the Dodgers fans on the 4th of July.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had nothing but words of praise for the veteran slugger after his team's crushing loss, saying:
“He’s Babe Ruth against us.”
Christian Walker etched his name in the record books after his rout, tying the record for most home runs at Dodger Stadium by a visiting hitter among active players. He has accumulated 19 home runs in 42 games at the ballpark, tying him with Paul Goldschmidt.
Zac Gallen shouts an All-Star spot for Christian Walker
MLB announced the starters for the Midsummer Classic taking place in Texas later this month. However, Christian Walker was not among the names announced for the All-Star game on Wednesday.
Walker's teammate and ace Zac Gallen highlighted the veteran slugger's recent output to demand an All-Star spot.
“He’s playing at an unbelievable level, an All-Star-caliber level,” Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen said. “I hope Major League Baseball sees that and they find a way to put him on the (All-Star) team.”
The Diamondbacks sealed a comprehensive 9-3 win on Thursday, registering two consecutive wins to clinch the series against the NL West rivals. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was all praise for Walker's heroics after the game.
"I was kind of shaking my head,” said manager Torey Lovullo. “I'm like, ‘This is really unbelievable.’ And he did it again, right? The second one, I'm thinking, ‘This is magical.’ And I’m just glad to be part of it."
It was a "full-circle" moment for the veteran first baseman as he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009 but never got a chance to play for the team. He has seven home runs in the last five games against the Dodgers, the most by any player against the team in a five-game span.