Dodgers Interview: Rushing has eventful day with first homer, catching Ohtani
"It's obviously a cool feeling."
LOS ANGELES — It may have come in the late innings of a blowout, and it may have come off a position player, but for Dodgers rookie catcher Dalton Rushing, his first career home run is still one to remember. The 23-year-old launched a three-run shot in the eighth inning of Saturday night’s 18–2 win over the Yankees, taking infielder Pablo Reyes deep to right field and earning high-fives and cheers from a dugout that knew exactly how much the moment meant.
“You hit it off a position player, but all the guys, they count the same,” Rushing said with a grin postgame. “That’s the message to me. It’s obviously a cool feeling… moving forward, I look forward to getting my first one off a real pitcher. But in the stat sheet, that’s my first one, so obviously it’s a great deal.” As for whether he got the ball back? “I believe it’s in here somewhere,” he said. “I’m not 100% sure. I hope someone got it, but if not, we’ll keep the first one off a real pitcher.”
The rookie was almost tempted to add a bit of Shohei Ohtani magic to his big swing—he considered grabbing Ohtani’s bat before heading to the plate. “It was actually my own idea,” Rushing explained. “I was going to grab it and just say, ‘Let’s go. He hits plenty of homers. I’m sure it can work for someone else, too.’” But veteran catcher Will Smith had other advice: “Will was like, ‘Hey, just go hit a homer with your own.’ So I was like, ‘All right, perfect.’ And it worked out.”
Beyond the home run, Saturday was significant for Rushing in another way: he caught Shohei Ohtani’s second live bullpen session before the game, a valuable experience for any catcher—let alone a rookie still getting his bearings. “Getting to see everything from a catching perspective today was pretty important,” Rushing said. “I got to see what everything does for him. I got to see obviously in the box what it looks like. So yeah, he’s special. Everyone knows that.” He added, “Hopefully the next step moving forward, we can get him on a mound as soon as possible.”
The atmosphere at Dodger Stadium over the weekend left an impression as well. Rushing, who was in the stands for Game 1 of the 2023 World Series, said the intensity of the crowd reminded him of October. “Last night the atmosphere was pretty unmatched,” he said. “It kind of felt like a playoff atmosphere almost. I got to actually see Game One of the World Series last year… and it was pretty special. That swing from Friday—I got to see it all in person. So it kind of stuck with me a little bit and just reminds me how special this game is.”
For Rushing, Saturday was a milestone night on multiple levels: his first big league homer, a front-row seat to Shohei Ohtani’s progress, and a taste of October baseball energy in June. Not a bad day at the office for the Dodgers’ young backstop.
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