LOS ANGELES -- Kris Bryant waited a long time for this milestone. Three months into his first season with Colorado, one which had been derailed by back issues, the 30-year-old finally hit his first home run as a Rockie.

Bryant’s blast, a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning, came in a 5-2 defeat at Dodger Stadium, Colorado’s second straight loss in Los Angeles. It was Bryant’s first home run since Sept. 15, 2021, for the Giants against the Padres. The 38-game homer drought was the longest of his career; he went 164 plate appearances between home runs.

Facing right-handed reliever Phil Bickford to open the sixth, Bryant connected with a 2-0 four-seamer in the upper part of the zone. With an exit velocity of 104 mph, the ball just cleared the wall in center field -- and Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger’s glove. It was enough for Bryant, though, who smiled as he returned to his dugout to a parade of high-fives.

Of course, this celebration coming so late in the season wasn’t what the Rockies -- or Bryant, for that matter -- expected when the slugger agreed to a seven-year, $182 million deal this March. Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Bryant has averaged 27 homers a year throughout his career, with his high of 39 coming in his MVP campaign in 2016. The Rockies certainly expected for him to continue to show off that power upon joining the club, particularly given the hitter-friendly nature of his new home ballpark.

But the course of events would almost certainly have been different if not for a lower back strain that’s hampered Bryant for the better part of this season, leading to two separate stints on the injured list and a total of 44 games missed. Even with the injury, Bryant has hit well enough, posting a .293 batting average and reaching base at a solid .343 clip. It was the power that seemed to suffer most of all, as just five of his 25 hits prior to Tuesday had gone for extra bases (all doubles), and he ranked in the 43rd percentile of maximum exit velocity, according to Statcast.