It wasn’t who anyone expected stepping up in that moment…

When the Dodgers pushed their home run streak to a record 21 games on July 7, 1953, it took an unexpected hero to keep it going. In the second game of a doubleheader, veteran pitcher Preacher Roe—known far more for his arm than his bat—launched the first home run of his 15-year career to extend the mark. It was the kind of surprise only baseball can script, with teammates celebrating as if they knew how unlikely it truly was.