LOS ANGELES — It was as if six months of torment, six months of pent-up frustration, and six months of trying to prove himself to a new organization and fanbase, came pouring out of his soul Saturday afternoon with one swing of the bat.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker, or commonly known in Los Angeles as a $60-million-a year bust, swung mightily, stood at the plate, and watched the ball sail high and deep into the Dodgers bullpen, before taking off for a home-run trot as the paid crowd of 50,194 at Dodger Stadium screamed in ecstasy.
When Tucker strolled around the bases, he threw his hands up in the air between first and second, and when he rounded third, broke into a grin that could be seen all the way to Pasadena. His teammates pounded
the dugout in euphoria, and when he came towards the dugout, vigorously high-fived teammate Teoscar Hernandez, and received a sunflower seed shower and bear hug from Mookie Betts that was so tight he nearly lost his breath.
“I think I was more excited than him," said Hernandez, who singled ahead of Tucker in the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory over Atlanta in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. “We've been going through a lot this year, but we stayed together. We have each other's back."
The Dodgers will tell you it didn’t really matter who was their offensive hero, but to a man, they couldn’t have been happier that it was Tucker.
“We were all excited for him," infielder Miguel Rojas said. “Tucker is a superstar, man. He’s a great hitter, a great player, he knows when to turn it on. …There’s no doubt in my mind that he was going to come through in the biggest stage of our season.
“Even if he doesn’t, I really don’t care. He shouldn’t have the weight of the team on his shoulder that he has to carry this team. Just do your job, go out, and enjoy your season.’’
Well, his debut season with the Dodgers just became a whole lot more enjoyable, with his two-run home run not only providing Tarik Skubal all of the support he needed after giving up just two hits and one run in six innings, but it was sweet redemption for Tucker.
“I mean, I was excited," he said, surrounded by a horde of reporters at his locker. “Anytime you can contribute to a win, whether it’s early in the game, late in the game, is huge. So I just try to do my part. Same thing with everyone else in this clubhouse. No one’s going out there putting up selfish at-bats or anything. It doesn’t really matter how you do statistically as long as you’re coming away with a win.
“Everyone’s just trying to help each other get to the end goal of winning a World Series, so it’s a nice start today with the win."
Tucker didn’t come close to living up to his four-year, $240 million contract during the regular season for the Dodgers, hitting just .233 with 17 homers, 70 RBIs, and a .330 on-base percentage and .385 slugging percentage. It was his worst season since 2020. It’s hardly what the Dodgers envisioned for a guy who averaged 27 home runs and 21 stolen bases in his previous five seasons.
He was often booed for his performance. Not Philadelphia or New York-style booing, but for West Coast fans, it was still real. The dude hit just .196 at home, and managed a mere five home runs in 78 game at Dodger Stadium.
If he were playing with the Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees or Toronto Blue Jays, he might have been run out of town.
Yet, this is laid-back Los Angeles, and besides, they were winning. The Dodgers still won 100 games despite his performance, always fully supporting him, and saying that what really will be remembered is what happens in October.
Well, October hit, and Tucker crushed it, going 2-for-4 with his homer and a stolen base.
It’s a whole new season, and Tucker looked like the star they envisioned when they signed him to the stunning contact.
“Our fans, they really remember what you do in the postseason," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So this is certainly a way to change the story for a season in 2026.”
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Really, Tucker began changing the script, along with Hernandez, in September. He hit six homers with 13 RBIs the final month with a .890 OPS. He was getting hot, just when the Dodgers needed him the most.
“I think that we all know, it’s been well talked about, the struggles he had this year,” Roberts said. “I give him a lot of credit for grinding through it, not running from it, always posting and kind of getting to the other side of it.”
Certainly, Tucker isn’t afraid of playoff pressure. He has played in the postseason every year of his career for a total of 72 postseason games. He led the Houston Astros to three World Series appearances, and caught the final out in the 2022 World Series for their championship. He became the second player in MLB history to post eight extra-base hits, five steals and 15 RBIs in a single postseason in 2021.
He not only expects to be in the postseason every year, but expects to win it all.
“I know the expectations are high here,’’ Tucker said, “but every year I’ve played, there are expectations of winning the World Series. Regardless of the team or the situation, you show up every day in spring training, trying to win the World Series. I don’t know why you keep playing unless you’re trying to win.
“I just want to win."
If the Dodgers win it all, and Tucker performs, no one in the world is going to care what he did in the summer months in LA, just like Hernandez who had his worst season since 2019.
“For me, whatever's in the past is in the past," Hernandez said. “There's nothing I can do of the things that I cannot get it done in the past. … For me, it's not about anymore the regular season. It's not about the September that I have. It's about what can I do in an at-bat, pitch by pitch, to help this team win ten more games this year."
It’s the same mantra Tucker plans to follow, knowing that if he has a huge October, no one is going to remember April-September.
“I mean, I’d like to stay hot throughout the entire year," Tucker said, “but, you know, baseball. You play a lot of games. There’s a lot of ups and downs, so you’re just trying to do your best at navigating that and just try to come out with wins regardless of the situation.
“You’ve got to have a short memory in this game."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Tucker was called a $240 million bust. Now he's the key to a Dodgers three-peat.
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