Ben Rortvedt didn't get off on the best foot with Dodgers fans when he made his team debut on Sept. 4 as a pinch-hitter replacing former No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing in the bottom of the ninth against the Pirates. The Dodgers were down by five and getting shut out by the Pirates, of all teams, but they staged a three-run rally before the game ended on a Rortvedt strikeout.
At the time, the prevailing sentiment among Dodgers fans was "who even is this guy?" Rortvedt had been called up to take over some catching duties as Will Smith was down with a bone bruise (but not on the IL), and he'd hit .