Sacramento's Dean belts three home runs

It was a prodigious display of power for Austin Dean on Sunday afternoon.

For the first time in his 10-year professional career, the 28-year-old belted three home runs in a single game in Triple-A Sacramento's 11-8 comeback win over El Paso. It also marked the first time since July 16, 2019 that Dean notched a multihomer performance.

The outfielder last homered on May 13, and it didn't take him long to find his again. After striking out in his first at-bat, Dean bore down and crushed a 1-0 curveball off Chihuahuas righty Jesse Scholtens 420 feet over the fence in left-center field. The ball traveled at an exit velocity of 102.8 mph.

Leading off the sixth inning, Dean sent a 2-1 changeup from righty reliever Grant Gavin to the same spot at the Chihuahuas' Southwest University Park -- though this time it traveled 387 feet -- for a 5-4 advantage.

With teammate Isan Diaz also posting a multihomer game, Dean’s third dinger was icing on the cake. On the first pitch he saw in the eighth, he turned on a curveball from righty Evan Miller and posted his highest exit velo of the day, 103.5 mph, on a solo jack to center that traveled 416 feet. His third RBI of the day to give the Cats a three-run lead they wouldn't relinquish.

It was the second three-homer performance by a River Cats player this season -- Kevin Padlo smacked three dingers in a six-RBI performance on May 1.

Now with four long balls in his last three games, Dean has eight home runs in 28 games this season to go along with three doubles, three triples, 17 RBIs and a .240/.276/.570 slash line.