De Paula hits a home run for his first career hit, Marlins walk-off ends Dodgers

Josue De Paula, who made his MLB debut two days ago, earned his first MLB hit today, and it carried significant weight.

Before the Dodgers fell 6-4 to the Marlins in the series finale, De Paula made his first start in left field. He was eager to reach loanDepot park for pregame work. The 21-year-old was full of anticipation for the opportunity, and that energy carried into his first start.

"I feel calm, very focused," De Paula said before the game. "I think I've been making good swing decisions, and the results will come soon."

The results arrived today. De Paula, rated as the Dodgers' top prospect by MLB Pipeline, stepped up in the top of the 4th. Facing Marlins starter Eury Pérez, he watched five pitches before getting a 98-mph fastball right down the middle. He launched it into the second deck of right field. The three-run homer measured 416 feet with an exit velocity of 108.2 mph per Statcast.

After circling the bases, De Paula high-fived Will Smith and Kyle Tucker near home plate before heading into the dugout. In that inning, Smith doubled and Tucker drew a walk. De Paula finished 2-for-2 with a double and a walk.

Starter Emmet Sheehan also pitched well, tossing six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five. But the Dodgers collapsed late in the game. The Marlins scored two runs in the 8th to cut the lead to one.

Facing former Marlin Tanner Scott in the 9th, the Marlins strung together three straight hits to tie the game. Then Agustín Ramírez hit a pinch-hit walk-off homer off Brock Stewart, handing the Dodgers a series loss.

After this defeat, the Dodgers will have to wait until at least tomorrow to try to seal a playoff spot.

In the bottom of the 6th, Kiké Hernández replaced De Paula, and Alex Call shifted from center field to left field.

Before this home run, De Paula had already impressed the Dodgers with his approach at the plate. Entering today, he had drawn three walks, a fact that caught the manager's attention.

"I think he's going to have quality at-bats," Roberts said on Saturday. "I feel like he won't be intimidated, and that's what we saw. We saw nice walks and solid contact. He'll be in there tomorrow and the day after, and that first hit will come soon."