Bellinger uncorks 39th HR to set NL rookie record

Cody Bellinger now stands alone in National League history.

The young Los Angeles Dodgers slugger blasted his 39th home run of the season Friday against the San Francisco Giants to pass Wally Berger and Frank Robinson for the most home runs ever by a rookie in the NL.

Bellinger now sits 10 home runs away from matching Mark McGwire's MLB-best mark of 49, set in 1987.

In the third inning, Bellinger sent a 2-1 offering from Jeff Samardzija deep into the right-field stands at Dodger Stadium, putting Los Angeles up 4-1 against its NL West rival with the three-run shot.

Only New York Yankees phenom Aaron Judge (46) and McGwire have hit more home runs as a rookie, though Bellinger's tally carries slightly more weight, as the 22-year-old has hit all 39 of his in his first-ever major-league season. In contrast, Judge hit four home runs in his 2016 debut campaign, while McGwire smacked three in 1986 with the Oakland Athletics.

It's Bellinger's first home run since he went deep against the Washington Nationals on Sept. 16.