Author: /u/StevenJeon

Today’s statline: 1-5, 2B, RBI, K

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 3 pitch lineout to left

Yordan started the at bat by watching a high and tight Kikuchi fastball outside for a ball. He then fouled off a middle-middle offspeed pitch to even the count. Then after a brief break where Altuve was picked off second, Yordan swung away on an inside fastball and hit it pretty well to left field, but right to Kelenic who made the routine catch for the last out of the inning. A good swing on a good pitch, just a suboptimal result.

At bat 2 (Bottom of second): 4 pitch double to center, RBI

Again, the at bat started with a couple high and inside fastballs Yordan took from Kikuchi, the second of which came dangerously close to plunking him. On a 2-0 count Yordan then had his customary strike right down the middle taken. Then on 2-1 Kikuchi threw a mistake of a pitch, a fastball that squeaked in at 91 MPH that Yordan rocked into deep center field. Altuve would score easily, and Yordan cruised into second on a stand up RBI double that pushed the lead to 6-0. A gorgeous pull swing from him here, he clearly knew what pitch he wanted and positioned his swing accordingly. He wouldn’t score though, as although Correa walked, Gurriel grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fourth): 2 pitch flyout to center

With Kikuchi having been disposed of, Yordan faced reliever Justus Sheffield in the fourth with a 4 run lead. For the third consecutive time, he took an inside fastball for a ball. Then Yordan got an offspeed pitch in the zone that he again made good contact on, hitting it pretty far to the same zone as his double the previous at bat. Unfortunately it was hit a little too lazily though, as the center fielder made the routine catch for the out.

At bat 4 (Bottom of fifth): 5 pitch strikeout looking

With the bases loaded and two outs, Yordan stepped up in a pretty important situation, and it didn’t start ideally, as he fouled off a fastball and a changeup, both well within the zone, to go down 0-2. He then took consecutive pitches outside and low for balls to even the count. However then he simply watched a stone cold strike almost right down the middle to end the at bat and strand the bases loaded. 100% could have done more with that pitch, it feels like after aggressively starting the at bat he got too passive and that bit him in the ass later on.

At bat 5 (Bottom of sixth): 1 pitch flyout to left

Yordan came up in the sixth with an 8 run lead and the bases loaded again, a very low leverage situation but still interesting to note. Facing Doolittle (who he probably faced in the 2019 world series), he swung at the first pitch, a slider in the zone, and mis-hit it for a lazy pop fly that was caught in the outfield to end the inning. Not that big of a loss considering the circumstances of where the game was at the time, but probably could have done more with that pitch, he normally crushes offspeed pitches, especially sliders, in the zone. Despite having a mostly productive game, he’s left 8 runners on base this game, a wild stat that is probably a career high for him and won’t be reached again, especially in a win.

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Quick note, gonna be Kawhi load managing the rest of the regular season DDoY games, posting only games where Yordan does something noteworthy (basically all games where he has a hit). Preparing for the grind that will be daily postseason DDoYs with more content, which should be a blast. Hopefully Yordan and the Astros finish out the season strong!

Today’s statline: 1-4, RBI, BB, K

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At bat 1 (Top of first): 1 pitch single to center, RBI

Coming up in a key RBI moment early in the game (runners on first and second with less than two outs), Yordan started off his day nicely, smashing a towering fly ball to center field off a lazy curve right down the middle. Kelenic looked like he had it for a second but then bobbled it, allowing Brantley to score and Correa to move to third. Yordan raced to second on the resulting throw to the plate, smart baserunning by him here (which would indirectly lead to another run, as with a base open the Mariners chose to give Gurriel an unintentional intentional walk leading to another run). Yordan would advance to third on a sac fly by Tucker, but wouldn’t score, as Diaz grounded out to end the inning. Overall still a great job here to again capitalize on a bad offspeed pitch in the zone that he could drive in runners with.

At bat 2 (Top of third): 1 pitch flyout to left

Once again, Yordan started off an at bat by swinging at the first pitch in the zone and hitting it deep into the outfield. However, this time the fastball he hit didn’t have enough carry to drop, as it hung long enough in left field for a routine warning track flyout. Kind of substandard by Yordan here, but he still made good contact and hit a deep, well hit fly ball, can’t really ask for more out of him. Probably a Crawford box bomb though.

At bat 3 (Top of fifth): 6 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan started off the at bat rather nicely, taking a fastball near his hands and an offspeed pitch outside to put him comfortably ahead 2-0. However then Flexen came back with two nice pitches, a changeup right down the middle and in the zone taken for a strike, and then an uncharacteristic miss by Yordan on another one high in the zone (foreshadowing…). He then fouled off another offspeed pitch in the zone to stay alive on 2-2, but then had another questionable swing and miss on another high fastball high and out of the zone. Gotta applaud the pitcher here for finding the pitch that Yordan was off on this at bat, but you also have to wonder why Yordan didn’t make better contact on those, normally he controls the top half of the zone like an emperor.

At bat 4 (Top of seventh): 2 pitch flyout to right

Yordan again took the first pitch of the at bat, a curve in the zone, for strike one. He then swung well at another fastball in the zone, and hit it pretty high, but not as deep as his previous two flyballs. Instead, the right fielder made the routine stab for the first out.

At bat 5 (Top of ninth): 6 pitch walk

Facing the new reliever, former Nationals closer Sean Doolittle (did Yordan ever face him in the 2019 World Series?), Yordan once again swung and missed at a high and inside fastball, this one well within the zone however. He then had the great foresight to take an extremely close fastball, also inside, for a ball, and then watched back to back low pitches outside to work into a 3-1 count. He then once again swung and missed at a high fastball, a little worrying for someone like him to have four such misses on similar pitches in one game. He then recovered though, and slayed his demons by taking a high fastball for a ball to draw the well-earned walk.

Today’s statline: 1-4, HR, RBI, R

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At bat 1 (Top of second): 2 pitch groundout to first

Similar to last game, Yordan started the at bat off with a very questionable outside low fastball that was somehow called a strike despite looking like it was off the plate by a couple inches. Then Yordan got another fastball, this one right down the middle, and scorched a ground ball to the right side of the infield, but unfortunately right to the shifted first baseman, who made the easy jog for the unassisted out. A really well hit ball, it was hit super hard and placed well, but just right at the defense.

At bat 2 (Top of fifth): 3 pitch home run to right, RBI, R

Yordan once again started an at bat with a first pitch strike he watched, although this fastball was near his hands and was very much in the zone. He followed that up with an extremely low fastball way outside the zone to even the count. Then the pitcher (Hearn) threw Yordan a low but extremely hittable offspeed pitch in his comfort zone, and Yordan launched a high, towering fly ball to right field, which tucked right into the foul pole for a 377 feet home run. The broadcast showed that it was hit at a 41 degree launch angle at 102.9%, which was pretty funny to see and also reminded me of another right field foul home run, Howie Kendrick’s homer in the 2019 world series. The Rangers keep throwing Yordan hittable offspeed pitches and it continues to bite them in the ass, as he capitalizes again with an unorthodox home run.

At bat 3 (Top of seventh): 4 pitch groundout to first

Hearn started the at bat by throwing an outside fastball that Yordan swung and whiffed at for strike one. Yordan smiled a bit after that pitch, not relevant to the at bat at all, just worth noting. He then once again got shrunk on a low outside fastball that was ruled a strike when it could have gone either way, the third such call that happened today. Following the script from at bat 1, he then watched a noncompetitive fastball way outside the zone for ball one, before hitting another ground ball to first, this time a rough chopper that took a bit more effort to field but still resulted in a routine unassisted out.

At bat 4 (Top of ninth): 5 pitch groundout to second

After being constantly squeezed by the ump on low outside fastballs, it was quite a breather to see Yordan start the at bat off with back to back balls on inside fastballs near his hands but clearly out of the zone. He then watched a stone cold fastball for strike one, before rocking another fastball into the right field seats but unfortunately foul. Finally on the fifth pitch Yordan once again hit a pitch right down the middle really well, and once again, it was right to an infielder who made the routine out to end Yordan’s day. A game that started pretty intriguingly but ended up feeling like a Zygerrian simulation running at minimum capacity, a good way to sum up both Yordan and the Astros today.

Today’s statline: 2-3, HR, RBI, R, K

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At bat 1 (Top of second): 3 pitch home run to center, RBI, R

The at bat started with a hard foul on a fastball inside the zone for strike one. He then took a similar pitch but a bit more inside for ball one to even the count. After throwing Yordan two inside fastballs, Allard came in with a lazy curve right down the middle, that he crushed to center field. The center fielder (Adolis, I think?) made a good jumping catch at the wall, but it bounced just a couple feet over his glove for a home run. Replay confirms that it was a borderline home run, but either way Yordan capitalized on a lazy offspeed pitch in the zone thrown by Allard and hit it extremely well, deserving of a home run.

At bat 2 (Top of third): 5 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan decided this time to start the at bat with consecutive strikes looking, taking fastballs that were both extremely questionable strikes on both the inside and outside lines of the plate. Staying alive, Yordan hit a tapper foul and then watched a noncompetitive fastball outside for a ball. Allard got Yordan this time though, as he threw a fastball low and out of the zone that Yordan simply whiffed on for the first out of the inning. A bad swing there, but I feel like the bad calls on the first two borderline strikes kinda squeezed him into a bad swing there.

At bat 3 (Top of fifth): 2 pitch hit by pitch

Yordan once again had a very questionable strike called on a fastball outside but probably in the zone to put him down 0-1. Then Allard went back to the inside fastball well one too many times, as he plunked Yordan in the back with a 90 MPH fastball, advancing Gurriel to second. Obviously not intentional, just an errant fastball that tailed away from Allard’s hand.

At bat 4 (Top of seventh): 1 pitch single to center

Facing the new reliever, fellow Korean reliever Hyeon-Jong Yang, Yordan got a slider in the zone for his first pitch, and dumped it into center field for a single that once again drove Gurriel to second. Replay shows it’s just a great swing by Yordan here, a sweet controlled swing that resulted in a clean base hit. Rangers pitchers keep throwing Yordan offspeed pitches right down the middle, this seems to not be working…

Today’s statline: 1-4, HR, RBI, R, K

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At bat 1 (Bottom of second): 1 pitch home run to center, RBI, R

The at bat started with Anderson throwing just a terrible fastball right in Yordan’s wheelhouse, one flat and lifeless at 88 MPH low and away but still in the zone. Yordan got a great swing off on it, pulling it deep into right center field for a no-doubt home run that traveled 396 feet. The replay is particularly nice on this one, as you can see it’s just a perfect pull happy swing that connected on Yordan’s money pitch. Another thing to note, it’s very nice to see him swinging aggressively at first pitches that are extremely hittable, as earlier in the year he was an automatic take for the first pitch that pitchers took advantage of. Always great to see him adjusting to how pitchers are throwing to him and doing well as a result.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 6 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan started the at bat by taking a changeup inside and a sinker low, both for balls, and then watched a stone-cold fastball right down the middle for a strike. He then got off a pretty disappointing swing on yet another fastball, this one outside and low off the plate. He then watched another fastball near his hands for a very borderline ball (extremely good take) to load the count full, but then had a very uncharacteristic swing and miss on another fastball way out of the zone for the costly strikeout with two runners on base. He had two bad misses here, both on outside fastballs low in the zone, but overall his borderline takes on the inside and his discipline overall was still extremely impressive.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 5 pitch lineout to center

Facing Anderson for the third time today, Yordan started the at bat with a typical stone-cold strike down the middle watched for strike one, and then watched another classic inside fastball out of the zone for a ball. He then watched yet another juicy fastball right down the middle for a strike, and then adjusted from the previous at bat and took the fastball low and outside for a ball. He then got yet another inside fastball in his wheelhouse, and got off a very nice swing on it, slashing it into center field. Unfortunately, Kelenic got a nice running grab on it to end the inning. A disappointing end to the inning, but he did a great job adjusting from his previous at bat and taking the pitches he missed at last time.

At bat 4 (Bottom of eighth): 2 pitch flyout to left

Starting the at bat, Yordan started the at bat with a noncompetitive ball off the plate on a low fastball, and then he swung under a curveball from the new reliever and hit a lazy fly ball to left field for the easy first out. A substandard result, but to be fair it was his first offspeed pitch of the day (Anderson threw him only fastballs in the previous three at bats) so he was probably adjusting to the unfamiliar pitch he was seeing today.

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Yordan was replaced in left field for Brantley later in the ninth as part of a double switch, a questionable move that had major implications later in the game. Removing the defensively limited Yordan with a 1 run lead was the right move at the time, but ended up backfiring when the Astros needed to bat in the bottom of the tenth with a chance to walk it off. Yordan batting with the bases loaded and facing a righty without intimidating stuff probably ends the game, but the double switch led to a Jason Castro pinch hit appearance, which ended in a strikeout. Just some random thoughts.

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Pitch data:

Fastball – 12

2 put in play (lineout and home run), 3 strike looking, 5 out of zone, 2 strike swinging

Changeup – 1

1 out of zone

Curveball – 1

1 put in play (flyout)

Yordan was mostly fed a steady diet of fastballs today from Anderson, and he made the most of it, watching almost half of them for balls and hitting some well hit fly balls. He could have been a bit more productive on the strikes looking right down the middle, and also probably should have shown better discipline on the outside fastballs low and away, but overall his control of fastballs and in particular the inside half of the zone was a joy to watch. Another home run today (his third straight game with one), definitely looks like he’s heating up. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.

Today’s statline: 1-4, HR, 3 RBIs, 2 R, 2 K

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 6 pitch strikeout looking

The at bat started with a strike looking on a fastball right down the middle for Yordan. He then watched a curve way out of the zone low and outside to even the count. Then, he watched consecutive changeups, one catching the outer part of the zone he watched for a strike and one nowhere close to work him into a 2-2 count. He then tapped out a foul ball on an inside slider to keep himself alive, before getting a fastball low in the zone that caught the bottom inch of the plate for the strikeout looking. A disappointing way to end the inning, but nevertheless a good at bat overall.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 1 pitch home run to left, 3 RBIs, R

Gilbert started the at bat off with a lazy changeup high in the zone but very well hittable, similar to the pitch he hit for a home run yesterday. He got a good swing off this pitch as well, lofting a fly ball deep to left field that barely cleared the crawford boxes for a 3 run home run that scored both Altuve and Correa and blew the game open. The replay shows he was kind of jammed on the pitch, but still managed to muscle it deep enough to clear the first couple rows. Yordan is great at simply making hard contact by muscling mis-hit pitches to the opposite field, and as a result he’s a perfect fit for Minute Maid park.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 6 pitch strikeout swinging

This time, Yordan started the at bat with a swing and miss on a pitch high in the zone to put him down in the count, He then watched a curve also high and out of the zone to even the count, before a rare swing and miss on a slider in the zone. He then adjusted and fouled off the same slider in the zone to stay ahead, and then watched an uncompetitive slider way outside for a ball. Finally after 5 pitches Gilbert threw him a slider low in the zone that Yordan swung and whiffed on, a rare sight for him. Again a good at bat here overall, but would definitely like him to show more hesitance to swing at a pitch like that.

At bat 4 (Bottom of sixth): 5 pitch walk, R

After a bad swing and miss in the previous at bat, Yordan seemingly adjusted and decided not to swing at any pitch that he couldn’t capitalize on. He took two curves high for balls, and then a curve low and out of the zone to make it a 3-0 count. Then he took a strike on a fastball high in the zone, a questionable take but I guess he decided he couldn’t capitalize on it. He then took yet another inside fastball out of the zone, the third of the at bat, to draw the walk. Good job here to not swing at any pitch he couldn’t do damage on, and instead help his team in other ways. He would later score on a Taylor Jones triple as part of a huge inning.

At bat 5 (Bottom of eighth): 2 pitch lineout to right

Yordan started by watching a very, very questionable strike on a curve that appeared low in the zone but was called a strike because of the good catcher framing. He then got a great swing off on a very hittable fastball inside the zone that he crushed to right field, but unfortunately right to the right fielder for the tough to swallow lineout.

Today’s statline: 2-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 R

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 1 pitch groundout to first, RBI

Yordan swung at the first pitch and got off a lazy swing on a slider low in the zone, hitting a weak grounder to the right side for the easy unassisted groundout for the first baseman. Correa would score on the out though, so despite the substandard approach he managed to produce a good result. Hopefully he gets some good swings off on his next at bats (EDIT: looking at this later, he did indeed get some good at bats later on).

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 1 pitch home run to center, 2 RBIs, R

Yordan once again swung at the first pitch, but this time Kikuchi threw him a lazy slider right down the middle. He was a bit early on it but he still crushed it, launching it 429 feet to center field for a no-doubt two-run home run that drove in Correa once again. After last at bat, it was great to see him get a great swing off on a pitch he eats for breakfast and capitalizing on an extremely hittable pitch. The replay all but confirms it, just a great, easy swing and a terrible pitch by Kikuchi.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fourth): 5 pitch double to left, RBI (later R)

The at bat started with 2 straight low sliders inside for Yordan, both of them taken for balls to work him into a 2-0 count. He then watched a fastball right down the middle for a called strike, before watching another fastball, this time inside near his hands though, to make the count 3-1. He then once again crushed a lazy pitch right down the middle, launching it hard to right field. Originally it looked like a home run (and then a fan interference out when the replay revealed it was the Jeffrey Maier special), but replay showed that the left fielder had no chance of grabbing it, effectively ruling it a RBI ground rule double. Again, a great at bat here resulting in a good swing against a hittable fastball, and this time he had the good plate discipline to back it up. He would also later score on a McCormick sac fly that effectively sealed the game (in the fourth inning lol).

At bat 4 (Bottom of fifth): 6 pitch groundout to first

Similarly to the previous at bat, Yordan watched consecutive fastballs outside of the zone high for a 2-0 count. He then pulled a splitter foul, before watching a splitter low to put him ahead 3-1. Then the pitcher came back with the same pitch that Yordan swung and whiffed on pretty badly to work the count full. Have to commend the pitcher here, not many would throw the same pitch again after a stone cold take the pitch before. Finally, he got a great swing off on a low pitch he craves, and he hit a scorching grounder down the right field line. Unfortunately, it was right at the shifted first baseman, who similarly to the first at bat, stepped on first for the unassisted out again. A disappointing end to the at bat, but that shouldn’t take away from his great approach and swing he got off here.

At bat 5 (Bottom of seventh): 1 pitch groundout to shortstop

Again, Yordan was extremely aggressive on the first pitch, a slider low in the zone near his sweet spot. He probably could have gotten a better swing off on the pitch, as instead of the deep fly ball he normally hits on those pitches, he hit a bouncing ground ball that the shifted shortstop fielded easily for the routine out.

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Pitch data:

Slider – 5

3 put in play (2 groundouts and home run), 2 out of zone

Fastball – 5

2 put in play (double and groundout), 2 out of zone, 1 strike looking

Splitter – 4

2 out of zone, 1 foul ball, 1 strike swinging

Yordan did a great job as always today, particularly on the slider, where he hit his home run and two hard hit groundouts. He also was extremely good against the fastball, which is customary for him but good to see nonetheless. While his latter 2 at bats weren’t good from the box score view, he didn’t swing at any bad pitches that he shouldn’t have today (with the lone exception of the 3-1 slider detailed in at bat 4) and overall his zone discipline was masterful. His second straight multihit game, hopefully it’s the start of a nice hot streak.

Today’s statline: 1-3, RBI, DP

At bat 1 (Top of first): 4 pitch single to left, RBI

The at bat started with Yordan watching a borderline fastball high and tight for strike one. After that borderline call, Yordan watched another fastball, this time middle and insider, for a ball, and then took another ball on an inside offspeed pitch in the dirt to pull ahead 2-1. Down in the count, Hernandez (the starting pitcher) needed to throw Yordan something in the zone, and he ended up throwing a high fastball to Yordan right in the zone, which you simply can’t do. He smashed it to the opposite field for an easy RBI single that scored Altuve for the first run of the game. Good at bat here by him to take what the heavily shifted defense gave him and to hunt out a specific pitch that he excels at vs the pitcher. He would not score, as Gurriel grounded out to end the inning.

At bat 2 (Top of fourth): 3 pitch double play to pitcher

The at bat started with a soft fly ball foul by Yordan off a curve right down the middle. He then watched a noncompetitive fastball to even the count. Then, on a 1-1 count, he swung at a fastball right down the middle, but unfortunately hit just a slow one-hopper right to the pitcher, who easily threw to second to start the double play.

At bat 3 (Top of sixth): 4 pitch groundout to shortstop

Yordan watched a fastball and a slider, both outside and out of the zone by quite a bit, to work himself ahead 2-0. He then watched another fastball high in the zone for a questionable called strike one, and then got a changeup high but in the zone. He got off a lazy swing and hit a routine ground ball to the shifted shortstop for the easy out.

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Yordan was pinch hit for in the eighth by Taylor Jones, which I thought was kind of questionable because it was a close game and Yordan mashes righties with unintimidating stuff like Barlow. Jones hit a double after a great at bat though, so what do I know.

Today’s statline:

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At bat 1 (Top of second): 4 pitch single to center

Yordan started the at bat by watching two pitches right down the middle, a slider and a fastball, to put him down in an 0-2 hole. He then watched a fastball middle but outside for a ball, and then on the fourth pitch got another slider, this time in the zone similar to where the third pitch was. He smashed it into center field for a clean single, nice job here to capitalize on a very sloppy pitch here from Barria and do damage on the offspeed. He would later advance to second on a Diaz single, but wouldn’t score, as McCormick grounded into a double play to end the inning.

At bat 2 (Top of third): 2 pitch double to right, RBI

The at bat started with Yordan watching a noncompetitive fastball from Barria to begin the at bat. Then he got a much more hittable fastball high but still well within the zone, and Yordan punished Barria again for throwing such a sloppy pitch, again hitting it hard into the outfield, scoring Brantley from second. The announcer crew mentioned his quick hands and good eye on the replay of the double, both of which were perfectly encapsulated on this hit here. He would not score again though, as although Diaz walked, Gurriel struck out to end the inning.

At bat 3 (Top of fifth): 3 pitch triple to right, RBI

Facing the new reliever, Yordan started the at bat by taking a huge hack and missing badly at a splitter in the dirt. He then missed again on another splitter, this time in the zone but kind of low. Down 0-2, he adjusted and put a one-handed golf swing on a splitter on the zone, dumping it into the right field corner. The positioning of the hit allowed Brantley to come around to score all the way from first, and Yordan’s creaky knees ran all the way to third on the resulting chaos and throw. While it wasn’t pretty to watch, still a great job by him to adjust on a pitch he looked bad against and settle for a hooked corner triple instead of the long ball. He wouldn’t score himself on the inning though, as Diaz struck out to end the inning.

At bat 4 (Top of sixth): 5 pitch groundout to third

Like many Yordan at bats, this one started with him taking an offspeed pitch low and outside for ball one. He then took back to back fastballs, one juicy and in the zone and the other questionably called a strike, to put him down 1-2. He then watched another low outside slider, nearly identical to the first pitch he saw, to even the count before hitting a hard bouncer, but right to the third baseman playing shallow in the infield. He threw out Yordan easily for the out.

At bat 5 (Top of ninth): 3 pitch flyout to center

Now facing reliever Mike Mayers (author of the worst MLB debut of all time, highly recommend you check out the video on that), Yordan started by watching a slider right down the middle for a strike, and then watched another one way outside in the dirt for ball one. He then got a nice swing off on a Mayers fastball and elevated it nicely, but unfortunately right at the center fielder for a routine flyout.

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Pitch data:

Fastball – 8

3 put in play (double, flyout, groundout), 3 strike looking, 2 out of zone

Splitter – 3

2 strike swinging, 1 put in play (triple)

Slider – 6

3 out of zone, 1 put in play (single), 2 strike looking

Another nice job today by Yordan to shrink the zone and force the pitcher to throw what he wanted him to throw. He again could have been a bit more aggressive on the good count fastballs in the zone, but overall I was very impressed by his work against the fastball and more importantly the slider. Nice job by him today, hopefully he continues the hot hitting. Not really relevant to his strike zone discipline but was great to see him running well and doing well on the bases (in particular that triple), hopefully it’s the start of him being more than just a one-dimensional power bat.

Today’s statline: 0-3, BB, R

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At bat 1 (Top of second) 1 pitch flyout to left

Yordan swung at the first pitch this time, a high fastball in the zone, and made pretty good contact, hitting it hard and deep to left field. Unfortunately, it died a couple feet short of the warning track for a routine flyout.

At bat 2 (Top of fourth): 9 pitch walk

Yordan had a great at bat here against Sandoval. He took the first four pitches of the at bat, a curve right down the middle to start the at bat, and then a fastball near his hands to even the count. He then watched another stone-cold fastball right down the middle before narrowly taking an outside low fastball to make the count 2-2. Then Yordan had one of his greatest 5-pitch sequences of the whole season, fouling off consecutive fastballs, changeups, and sliders, all low chase pitches, to keep himself alive. Then Sandoval made the mistake of trying to get him to chase low and inside, in his sweet spot. He threw two terrible fastballs way outside in the zone, giving Yordan the walk and completing the comeback from 1-2 to 4-2. An amazing job here to work the count in his favor and simply stop swinging at the waste pitches low and away, definitely one of his better at bats of the season. He would later score on the pivotal Kyle Tucker grand slam later in the inning.

At bat 3 (Top of fifth): 5 pitch lineout to right

The at bat started with three consecutive balls by Yordan, the first two on a low fastball and changeup low and inside, before watching a fastball low and away to make the count 3-0. He then watched another strike right down the middle, and then got a fastball inside in the zone. He crushed it, cracking it hard to right field (you could hear a large crack of the bat right off the bat) but once again, the defender was right there, leading to the hard to watch lineout.

At bat 4 (Top of eighth): 3 pitch groundout to second

Yordan watched two fastballs to start the at bat, one right down the middle and another low and outside. Then on the 1-1 count, he lined a curve low in the zone hard to second, but right to the second baseman who made the routine play to throw him out.

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Pitch data:

Fastball: 12

6 out of zone, 2 put in play (lineout and flyout), 3 strike looking, 1 foul

Curveball: 4

2 out of zone, 1 put in play (groundout), 1 strike looking

Slider: 1

1 foul

Yordan did a great job today understanding the strike zone, in particular his mastery against the fastball (6/12 taken for balls, 2 well hit fly balls) was great to see. I think he should have been a bit more aggressive against the fastball though considering he was doing so well against them. All of his strikes looking were in favorable counts and right down the middle so he probably could have made nice contact on them. Overall just a good night by Yordan with a lot of solid contact, unfortunately you can’t see it in the box score.