Two hits, poise highlight Rushing's debut with Dodgers: 'He's a strong kid'

LOS ANGELES -- Dalton Rushing had been dreaming of this day for as long as he could remember. Now that it was finally here, he knew that all he had to do was focus on what he knows best.

“I think I was more nervous before the game, just to catch the first pitch and just actually make sure I catch the first pitch," Rushing said with a chuckle. "Once I got that out of the way, I felt as if I was pretty comfortable."

Making his Major League debut in front of a 50,000-strong crowd at Dodger Stadium, Rushing certainly did not let any nerves show. He picked up his first start behind the plate and notched a pair of base hits as the Dodgers downed the A's, 19-2, on Thursday night.

Rushing got the long-awaited call to the big leagues on Wednesday, with the Dodgers making the tough decision to designate veteran catcher Austin Barnes for assignment in order to clear a roster spot for their top prospect (and MLB Pipeline's No. 15 overall).

From the start, Rushing showed that he wasn't going to try too hard to make that first hit fall, drawing a walk in his first plate appearance in the second inning and coming around to score on a sacrifice fly from Shohei Ohtani -- the beginning of a monster performance from the Dodgers superstar on his bobblehead night.

The 24-year-old backstop didn't have to wait long, though. After working a 3-2 count against A's reliever Jason Alexander in the third inning, Rushing lined a single up the middle, laying the foundation for a seven-run frame. The milestone knock was accompanied by a quick refrain from Rush -- "The Spirit of Radio" -- played by Dodger Stadium organist Dieter Ruehle.

At 110 mph off the bat, it was the hardest-hit first career hit for a Dodger in his debut since Statcast began tracking in 2015.

"He's a hitter. … He's a strong kid," manager Dave Roberts said. "He just takes good at-bats, and he controls the strike zone. And there's some slug in there, too."

The experience of taking the field for the first time in front of the Dodger Stadium faithful is one that Rushing says will stick with him. He had several members of his family in attendance, who had made the trip from the Memphis, Tenn., area earlier that day.

After he left the Dodgers' clubhouse postgame, Rushing was looking forward to spending time with his mom and giving her the ball from his first hit.

"It's going to mean the world to her," Rushing said. "It means the world to be able to give it to her, for me, and obviously it's going to be something she cherishes for the rest of her life.”

Behind the plate, Rushing drew praise for the way he helped Matt Sauer, Anthony Banda and Justin Wrobleski navigate the A's lineup.

"Everything about what he did was very pro," Banda said. "Given the fact that it's his debut, it's a big day, a lot of nerves and everything. But he looked like he settled in really, really well. He looked like it didn't really overwhelm him."

With the way the blowout win unfolded, it was a whirlwind of a debut for Rushing. He hopes it's a statement for both the team and himself.

"It's special," Rushing said. "You get a win like that on your debut, it kind of sends a message, obviously, not only to myself, but other teams around, like how powerful and how dangerous this club is. And I'm glad I could be another piece to it.”