There are a lot of factors that come into play regarding a batter's comfort in the box. The delivery of a pitcher matters, as it determines how soon a batter sees the ball, and then the overall periphery helps the batter determine how the ball travels towards the plate. For Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker, it seems like facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in their home stadium provides the ideal set of circumstances for him to be at his best at the plate, as seen in the Diamondbacks' 9-3 win over the Dodgers on Thursday.
During the first inning, Walker came to the plate with two outs against Landon Knack. Knack seemed to have Walker on the ropes, taking him to a 1-2 count. But Walker has made Dodger Stadium his own stomping grounds. He turned on a 94-mph fastball and launched it towards left field for a monster 435-foot home run that travelled 109.6 mph off the bat.
With Christian Walker's latest home run, he has now hit a long ball in five consecutive games at Dodger Stadium. This is the longest streak for a visiting player in the entire history of the ballpark, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com, which is quite the feat. Walker is cementing himself as a Dodgers killer, which is a sight for sore Diamondbacks eyes given their struggles throughout the 2024 campaign.
Overall, Walker is tied for the longest single-season home run streak in the history of Dodger stadium. Former Dodgers slugger, Joc Pederson, who is now teammates with Walker on the Diamondbacks, went yard on five consecutive games as well during the 2015 season.
When taking into account streaks spanning two seasons, former Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and outfielder Gary Sheffield also had a five-HR streak at Dodger Stadium during the 2014-15 and 1999-00 seasons, respectively.
Christian Walker sees red whenever he faces the Dodgers
Amid the Diamondbacks' disappointing season after coming off a trip to the World Series in 2023, Christian Walker has been doing his part to keep Arizona afloat. Walker, at 33 years of age, is having the best season of his career thus far. Entering their Thursday night tussle against the Dodgers, Walker was slashing .267/.339/.506 — numbers that will only look better after another stellar night against the NL West's preeminent powerhouse.
On Thursday, in addition to his first-inning home run, Walker hit another long ball, this time a two-run shot in the third inning. This home run came with two outs yet again, with the 33-year old showing that he is indeed one of the most clutch performers in the plate in the league.
Walker did not care for Knack's offspeed stuff, as he punished a changeup high in the zone with another no-doubter. The 33-year old has now hit five home runs in his last three games, which is simply ridiculous given the quality of the opposition he's facing.
Christian Walker now has nine home runs against the Dodgers this season — ridiculous stuff for one of the game's most underrated players. He's now batting .411 against the Diamondbacks' main NL West rival, to go along with 15 runs batted in. Dodgers pitchers have certainly had enough of seeing Walker.
Sadly, despite having four more games against the Dodgers this season, none of them will be held at Dodger Stadium. But Walker has certainly already dealt a season's worth of damage in the Dodgers' home stadium.
Fans react to the Diamondbacks slugger's bonkers streak
Christian Walker looks like the Terminator to the Dodgers, as no ball is safe whenever the 33-year old first baseman comes to bat in Dodger Stadium. Fans simply cannot believe how dominant Walker has been and how the Diamondbacks slugger is playing at his best in his age-33 season.
“Christian Walker absolutely owns the Dodgers.” – @YankeesJunkie
“Christian Walker is treating the Dodgers like they owe him money.” – @crewser128
“Christian walker I one man wrecking crew against the Dodgers.” – @tec7705
Some even went as far as to say that Christian Walker shouldn't even get a pitch that's remotely within the strike zone. And the Dodgers, on cue, did exactly that when they walked the Diamondbacks slugger in the ninth inning on Tuesday.
“Just don’t pitch to Christian Walker at this point anymore if your The Dodgers 🤣.” – @austin_butler10
“Christian Walker getting the Barry bonds kind of pitch around walk right there.” – @bishopsbrain
In the end, the Dodgers' fear of Christian Walker proved to be their undoing; their two-run deficit ballooned to six after Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno delivered for the Diamondbacks with two outs, essentially sealing the game in their favor.