MIAMI -- Two days after making his Major League debut, Josue De Paula got his first Major League hit -- and he made it count.
Before his first start in left field in the Dodgers’ 6-4 loss in the series finale against the Marlins on Sunday, De Paula could not wait to get to loanDepot park and get his work in. The 21-year-old was excited for the opportunity, and that energy carried into his first start.
“I felt calm, very locked in,” De Paula said pregame. “I feel like [I have been] making really good swing decisions and the results are coming real soon.”
They came Sunday.
De Paula -- ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect -- saw five pitches from Marlins starter Eury Pérez in the top of the fourth inning before getting a 98 mph fastball in the middle of the zone. He sent a three-run bomb deep into the second deck in right field for a Statcast-projected 416-foot home run, with the ball leaving his bat at 108.2 mph.
After rounding the bases, De Paula greeted Will Smith and Kyle Tucker near home plate before heading into the dugout. Smith had doubled and Tucker had walked in the inning. DePaula went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.
Starter Emmet Sheehan also delivered a strong performance, firing six scoreless frames. He gave up two hits and struck out five batters. But the game unraveled late for L.A., as Miami chipped away with two runs in the eighth to draw within a run.
In the ninth, facing former Marlin Tanner Scott, Miami knocked three straight hits to tie the game before Agustín Ramírez drove a pinch-hit, walk-off homer off Brock Stewart to hand the Dodgers a series loss.
With the defeat, the Dodgers will have to wait until Monday to attempt to clinch a postseason berth.
In the bottom of the sixth, Kiké Hernández replaced De Paula with Alex Call shifting from center to left.
The home run came after De Paula had already impressed the Dodgers with his approach at the plate. He had walked three times entering Sunday, something that stood out to manager
“I thought he was going to conduct good at-bats,” Roberts said Friday. “I felt he wasn't going to be overwhelmed by the moment, and that's exactly what we saw. We saw a good walk, some hard contact. He'll be in there tomorrow and the next day, and he'll get his first one soon enough.”