LOS ANGELES – Kyle Tucker’s first three at-bats produced hard-hit balls that resulted in outs. On his fourth, in Thursday’s seventh inning, Shohei Ohtani broke to second base and Tucker turned on a full-count fastball out over the plate, lining it into the right-center field gap to further pad his new team’s lead. It was precisely how the Los Angeles Dodgers envisioned it when they signed Tucker, the best free agent on the market, to a four-year, $240 million contract in January — except the end.
Tucker attempted the Dodgers’ indelible dance, in which they awkwardly sway their arms and their hips from side to side upon driving in runs, but Tucker got only halfway there. His arms moved, but his hips did not.
