Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon Makes Franchise History By Belting 20th Home Run

Ryan McMahon, who made the All-Star Game for the first time this season, became the 10th Colorado Rockies player to hit at least 20 home runs in five different seasons.

Sep 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon (24) high fives third base coach/infield coach Warren Schaeffer (34) after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have been buried in last place all season, but that didn't stop them from playing spoiler on Saturday.

In a road showdown with the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rockies took a quick 3-0 lead. Even though that advantage got erased by the fourth inning, one of Colorado's top sluggers vaulted them back ahead soon after.

Third baseman Ryan McMahon stepped up to the plate with two outs in the top of the fifth, facing off against Walker Buehler. McMahon got one pitch from Buehler and immediately crushed it 384 feet to left-center for the go-ahead solo home run.

Charlie Blackmon added a two-run shot in the ninth for some insurance, and the Rockies went on to win 6-3.

McMahon's home run, on top of being the game-winning bomb, also happened to be a historic one.

The 29-year-old infielder is now up to 20 homers on the season. He has reached that milestone in each of the last five full seasons, only missing the mark in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

McMahon is one of just 10 players in Rockies franchise history to post at least five 20-home run seasons.

Andrés Galarraga, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story each had five such seasons, while Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki, Larry Walker and Vinny Castilla all made it there six times. Hall of Fame first baseman Todd Helton owns the team record with eight 20-home run seasons, one above Dante Bichette and his seven.

Witness 3B Ryan McMahon becoming the 10th player in #Rockies history with five seasons of at least 20 home runs. pic.twitter.com/iQbu0Ukq2i

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) September 22, 2024

McMahon is under contract for three more years, so he could tie Helton atop the list if he plays out the rest of his deal in Colorado.

Since becoming an everyday player in 2019, McMahon has hit .245 with a .754 OPS, averaging 24 home runs, 81 RBI and 3.0 WAR per 162 games. He has thrived as Arenado's replacement in the hot corner, boasting some of the best defensive metrics by any third baseman over the last four years.

McMahon has also missed an average of just 10 games a year since 2021, ranking top-three on the Rockies in WAR in each of those seasons. He made the All-Star Game for the first time this summer.

At 60-95, the Rockies' season has effectively been over for months. Still, McMahon hasn't stopped slugging, and Colorado can further ding Los Angeles' chances of earning the NL's top seed by stealing the series on Sunday.

First pitch for the finale is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

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