LOS ANGELES -- As Ryan Ward ran out to left field for Sunday afternoon's finale against the Phillies, he took a moment to look around and soak in the sights and sounds of the buildup to first pitch. After seven years in the Dodgers' organization, he was finally playing at Dodger Stadium.
Ward reached several milestones when he made his big league debut on the road last month in Colorado, picking up his first pair of knocks and an RBI. But like all players, he dreamed of taking the field at the home ballpark of the team that drafted him.
After he was selected in the eighth round of the 2019 Draft, Ward's Dodger Stadium debut was a long time coming. He made the most of the opportunity, slugging his first career home run as the Dodgers routed the Phillies, 9-1, to secure a series win.
From the moment that Ward made contact with an Andrew Painter slider in the fourth inning, everyone in the ballpark seemed to know the ball was leaving the yard. It sailed a Statcast-projected 400 feet at 108.4 mph off the bat into the visitors' bullpen, and hours later, it had made its way to Ward's locker for safekeeping.
"Kind of a blackout, if I'm gonna be honest with you," Ward said. "I hit it and kind of just went numb. Watching it go over the fence was really cool. I mean, incredible feeling, for sure."
His teammates celebrated with him in the dugout, and later, carried out one of the traditional rituals for commemorating big league firsts: a celebratory shower in any liquid that can be found. ("I'm probably gonna smell for a little bit," Ward quipped.) In the dugout, Ward got to share a moment with Alex Freeland, who went deep two batters later for his first home run since being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier this week.
Ward and Freeland had spent the morning hitting together, going through a pregame routine just as they might have done not so long ago with the Comets. Both players arrived in L.A. this week as the Dodgers shook up their position-player group in the wake of injuries to Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández.
"I'm just uber-excited for Ryan Ward," Freeland said. "I don't think there's anybody that deserves it more than him. So to share that moment with him is special."
When Ward (L.A.'s No. 19 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) received his first call to the Majors last month, he knew his time with the Dodgers would be short-lived. He was promoted to account for Freddie Freeman's stint on the paternity list. Now, with Teoscar Hernández expected to miss around a month with a left hamstring strain, Ward could have a real opportunity in left field, where he's sharing time with Alex Call.
After 725 games and more than 3,200 plate appearances in the Minors, Ward will get some runway in the Majors.
"Even talking to Freeland today on the bench, he made a note that Ryan was probably the most positive guy down there in Triple-A, and that speaks to his character," manager Dave Roberts said. "And if there’s anyone that has the right to be salty and frustrated, it’s him, but he was professional about it, and he was an easy one to recall and get him here."
Ward, who's coming off a Pacific Coast League MVP season, has consistently performed at the Minor League level. In his second stint as a big leaguer, he'll look to draw on his experience from the long and winding road that got him to this point.
"It's kind of going back throughout the years of trusting all the work that I put in, trusting all the things that have finally got me here, and just continuing to work on those things day in and day out," Ward said. "And just trust that I got up there."