LOS ANGELES — There are two players who have come into Dodger Stadium as a visitor and hit at least two home runs in a game this season. One is a two-time Derby champ who led baseball with 53 home runs three years ago, and the other socked his first and second of the season on Monday.
Lewis Brinson joined the Mets’ Pete Alonso as the only non-Dodgers to homer twice in Dodger Stadium in 2022. There’s undoubtedly flukiness involved, but it takes legitimate pop to do it against these Dodgers this year in their house.
Los Angeles’ pitching staff leads MLB in ERA with a 2.88 mark. They’re in the top-five at suppressing the long ball. But Brinson led a long-ball onslaught in the Giants’ 7-4 win in which San Francisco matched their season-high with five homers. He did it in his introduction to the Giants-Dodgers rivalry and for his team’s fourth consecutive win.
“We’re just trying to have fun,” starter Logan Webb said postgame. “There’s nothing really to lose now. Just go out there and have fun.”
Webb was talking about the Giants at-large, but the message could apply specifically to Brinson.
In fact, one of the first things Brinson said when he introduced himself to reporters in San Francisco was “I’m fun, man.” And someone on the fringes of MLB relevancy surely doesn’t have much to lose.
The Giants have made it clear that September is an opportunity for young players to prove themselves. Since Brinson has so much big-league experience, he falls into a different category than guys like David Villar, Bryce Johnson and Yunior Marte.
Brinson was one of the most highly touted prospects in the game when he was drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft. He was involved in two major trades, including the 2018 Christian Yelich blockbuster.
But a lack of plate discipline and bat-to-ball skill stunted his path to MLB stardom. He’s hit .200 in parts of six big-league seasons. He led the National League in errors by an outfielder in 2018 despite only playing 109 games.
“Full disclosure: he’s had a lot of struggles at the Major League level,” manager Gabe Kapler said when SF acquired Brinson. “This is no turn key thing. It’s going to take a lot of work. And it’s also going to be grasping the opportunity in front of him.”
When Brinson arrived in San Francisco, he also admitted that he may have put too much pressure on himself. Overthinking — and over-relying on athleticism — prevented him from tapping his potential. He vowed to just play his game and have fun. To not put on a show for anyone else. To not do too much.
Apparently all that led to him doing the most in a humid Dodger Stadium.
Brinson, who led off for the second straight game, showed he can pull a ball deep, drive one purely or smash it the other way.
In the third inning, Brinson tied the game with a two-run shot to straightaway center. The drive off southpaw starter Andrew Heaney went 429 feet in the air.
He popped up and struck out in his next two at-bats, but dug in again to lead off the ninth inning against Justin Bruihl — another lefty. That’s when Brinson cracked open the game with his opposite-field power.
“Just a physical specimen,” David Villar said. “Watching him — glides in the outfield, glides on the bases, everything. And he can hit the ball 450 feet. It’s good to have a guy like that on your team.”
The 6-foot-5 outfielder nearly had three home runs on the night; in his first at-bat, he hooked one just foul down the left field line. That foul may have helped him command the sweet spot of the barrel and continue to put together dangerous swings, Brinson and Kapler agreed postgame.
Brinson’s two home runs supplanted bombs from J.D. Davis, Thairo Estrada and David Villar. The only other time the Giants have hit five homers in a game at Dodger Stadium was when Pedro Feliz, Ray Durham, Marquis Grisson, Deivi Cruz and Jason Ellison each smacked one on Oct. 3, 2004.
So, in a way, Brinson will always be part of Giants history now. Whether he can do enough to demonstrate he’s a MLB-caliber player is an open question. Monday is hard evidence that his pure ability won’t be the issue.
And even though Brinson is playing to prove himself and the Giants as a team don’t have much at stake, Brinson still has the right mindset.
“Obviously the two home runs were awesome, but we got the win,” Brinson said. “We’ve got to keep this winning streak going.”
