While Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich went into the 2019 MLB season coming off different campaigns, the two have been the focal point of the early National League MVP discussion.
And with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers playing seven times over a 10-day stretch, Bellinger and Yelich seemingly took turns upstaging one another. The Brewers’ right fielder has continued his tear since last season’s All-Star break, and Bellinger has further removed himself from a bit of a sophomore slump.
The two rising stars spoke ahead of their games at Miller Park throughout the past weekend, which prompted Bellinger to rave about the friendly competition that’s developed.
Yelich returned the praise in an with “Dodger Talk” host David Vassegh on AM 570 L.A. Sports Radio:
“I know Cody fairly well. He’s a good kid, he’s a great baseball player, obviously. We were just catching up. I ran into him a time or two this (past) offseason. It’s been well-documented how well his season has been going so far. We were just catching up a little bit. … I’m not one of those that’s checking out everybody’s team and going up and down the roster, but it’s hard to ignore what he’s been doing or not be able to see. It’s great for him, it’s fun to watch, it’s great for the sport of baseball.”
Yelich slugged at least home run in each of the first three games of the series with the Dodgers and now leads the NL with 13. But it was Bellinger who got the last laugh.
He robbed Yelich of a home run in the eighth inning on Sunday, then hit a game-winning homer off Josh Hader in the ninth. That propelled the Dodgers to three wins in the four games at Miller Park, and clinched the season series in their favor.
