Bellinger dons sombrero again, sets World Series strikeout record
Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger earned a spot in the history books Tuesday night at Chavez Ravine, just not in the way he imagined, presumably.
With yet another four-strikeout performance in his club's 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 6, Bellinger set a single-season World Series record for strikeouts (14), blowing past the previous high-water mark of 13 jointly held by Javier Baez (2016) and Ryan Howard (2009). Bellinger, who struck out four times in Game 3 at Minute Maid Park, too, is also the first player in history to record multiple four-strikeout games in one World Series.
World Series strikeout leaders, single season
| Player | SO | Year | Games | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Bellinger | 14 | 2017 | 6* | .658 |
| Javier Baez | 13 | 2016 | 7 | .433 |
| Ryan Howard | 13 | 2009 | 6 | .631 |
| Willie Wilson | 12 | 1980 | 6 | .459 |
*Game 7 will be played Wednesday at Dodger Stadium
Still, Bellinger has made some major contributions throughout his volatile first World Series appearance. Though he was held hitless through the first three games, going 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts, Bellinger snapped his slump in emphatic fashion in Game 4, smacking a game-tying double in the seventh inning before stroking a go-ahead double in the ninth to propel his team to a 6-2 win. The following night, in an epic 13-12, extra-inning loss, Bellinger went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer and a walk. On Tuesday, though, as the series shifted back to Los Angeles, the 22-year-old went cold again, his average for the series plummeting to .167 with another 0-for-4, four-strikeout effort.