On Monday night, Scottsdale native and Chandler Hamilton High School alum Cody Bellinger broke a record that was set nine years before World War II began.
The 21-year-old Dodgers first baseman and outfielder, who's featured in our list of active pro athletes who went to high school in the Valley, hit his 20th and 21st home runs of the season in the Dodgers' win over the Mets, making him the fastest player in MLB history to hit 21 career homers.
Bellinger's feat came in just his 51st game at the MLB level, beating Wally Berger's record of 55 games set in 1930.
20 homers in 51 career games?
Wally Berger@ElGarySanchez
And now … @Cody_Bellinger. https://t.co/Y2DkWiqeI4 pic.twitter.com/xgRBx2QUqC— MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) June 20, 2017
SECOND HR OF THE GAME: No. 21 #CodyBellinger ????????? #DODGERS #BeatTheMets @Cody_Bellinger ? pic.twitter.com/9DrP1HCmb2
— DodgersLakers ?A (@DodgersLakers) June 20, 2017
Bellinger, who represented Chandler in the 2007 Little League World Series, is the son of three-time World Series champion Clay Bellinger. His brother Cole is a pitcher who just finished guiding Hamilton to a second consecutive Arizona state championship.
Cody's performance drew applause from around the league, as well as from those other sports, including Magic Johnson.
Congratulations to @Cody_Bellinger on becoming the fastest player to reach 21 career home runs in MLB history. What an accomplishment!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 20, 2017
