Cody Bellinger Ties NL Rookie Record with 38th Home Run vs. Nationals

Cody Bellinger's fantastic debut season continued Saturday, as the Los Angeles Dodgers standout ripped his 38th home run, tying a National League rookie record in the process.

According to ESPN.com, "His second-inning homer off Washington Nationals starter A.J. Cole in the Dodgers' 3-2 victory Saturday tied Wally Berger (Braves, 1930) and Frank Robinson (Reds, 1956)."

His 38 blasts exceeded his own expectations, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com: 

Many rookies might hit the wall later in the season. But Bellinger, 22, spent time on the disabled list in late August and believes that may have aided him in the long run. 

"This is the most baseball that I'm gonna play in my life," Bellinger told Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal after Saturday's game. "Maybe those 10 days down the stretch kind of rejuvenated my body and my mind, so now I'm out here playing fresh and feeling good."

While Bellinger has the outright NL record in sight, he's unlikely to surpass Mark McGwire's MLB rookie record of 49 homers in 1987. New York Yankees rookie slugger Aaron Judge is closer to reaching that mark, as he has 43 dingers.