Chris Taylor keeps mashing. The Los Angeles Dodgers player emerged as a star this season and has shown no signs of regressing under the bright lights of October. On Tuesday night, he mashed at a level previously unseen in this particular postseason. At the end of the day, all he did was score one run for his team. But the speed and distance of his shot over the fence left mouths agape around Wrigley Field, a feeling the Dodgers are creating as a whole as they roll towards the World Series.

Taylor sends one into orbit

Taylor came to the plate in the top of the third inning of a tie game, 1-1.

With Kyle Hendricks on the mound, the Dodgers star had an opportunity to change the outlook of the game. All he needed was one clean swing. On a 3-1 count, he got hold of a pitch and sent it deep to center field to push Los Angeles ahead of the Chicago Cubs.

The home run had a rocking exit velocity of 106 MPH, which would've struck fear into even the Aroldis Chapmans of the world. It also traveled 444 feet, which is now the record for longest home run during the 2017 MLB playoffs. Taylor even became the first person in playoffs history to homer from both the outfield and shortstop in the same postseason - he homered as a center fielder in Game 1 of the NLCS and now a shortstop in Game 3 of the NLCS.

The Dodgers wound up winning 6-1, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Taylor raking all postseason long

Taylor has been hitting at a torrid pace this season. He started the season in Triple-A, not even seen as good enough to play at the top level of the sport. When he finally got the call to join the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 19, he had no intention of looking back.

As an all-around utility man, Taylor hit .288 with 21 home runs and 72 RBIs over the course of the regular season. He also finished ninth in the National League with 17 stolen bases.

He has failed to steal a base in his first six postseason games. But he's kept up all of his other counting numbers. He's hitting .280 with a better on-base percentage and better slugging percentage.

He has a double, a triple, and two home runs, both of which have come in the NLCS. Unsurprisingly, Taylor has been an integral part of a successful postseason run for the Dodgers.

Los Angeles has a chance to sweep the Cubs out of the playoffs on Wednesday night, once and for all. If the Dodgers move on to the next round, Taylor will be considered the biggest X-factor in their series against the ALCS winner.
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