Cody Bellinger might have been a little too fired up about his clutch round-tripper Sunday night.
Bellinger walloped a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning of Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers star’s moon shot proved to be the decisive blow in the winner-take-all clash, as LA ultimately notched a 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves to earn a trip to the World Series.
After a highlight-reel bat flip, Bellinger circled the bases and celebrated with teammates as he crossed home plate. Part of the celebration included a jumping arm smash with Kike Hernandez, which appeared to injure the reigning NL MVP. Bellinger winced as he made his way into the clubhouse and appeared to be signaling some type of injury in center field before the top half of the eighth inning began.
During an appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” Bellinger confirmed the celebration with Hernandez caused his shoulder to pop out of its place.
“Not the first time it’s happened,” Bellinger told Scott Van Pelt, as transcribed by ESPN. “I just had to run back to the training room, and they had to pop it back in real quick. But I felt good. I was good enough to play defense to end the game, that’s for sure.”
Judging from those remarks, it doesn’t sound like Bellinger is at all concerned about his shoulder. As such, it’s fair to expect the 25-year-old will be in the Dodgers’ lineup Tuesday when LA and the Tampa Bay Rays open the Fall Classic.
