Author: /u/StevenJeon

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At bat 1: 1 pitch single to center

Yordan pounced quickly here, as Dunning threw a low fastball in the zone for the first pitch that Yordan jumped on and drove into right center field for an easy single. He was later erased on the basepaths after a DP by Gurriel after him.

At bat 2: 4 pitch single to center

Pretty much an identical at bat as the first one. Yordan worked into a 1-2 count this time, with both strikes coming on offspeed pitches. He then took the 4th pitch, another inside fastball, and pulled it again into right center for a single.

At bat 3: 2 pitch flyout to right

Yordan took a ball questionably off the plate and then took a good swing at another fastball in a similar spot, sending it high opposite field into left. However it was hit too high and not far enough, as even with the Crawford Boxes it died in left.

At bat 4: 3 pitch strikeout swinging

After watching a fastball high and outside and fouling off another high but inside, Yordan swung at a curve pretty low and out of the zone for a quick three pitch strikeout.

At bat 5: 3 pitch flyout to center

After taking two pitches, a fastball high and out and an offspeed low in the zone, Yordan took a good hack at a low fastball, a pitch normally in his sweet spot, but he just didn’t put enough power in it, as it died in center field.

Today’s statline: 1-4, single

At bat 1: 4 pitch flyout to center

After taking the first two pitches for balls, Yordan watched an inside curve for a strike and then hit a lower curve into left center field, where unfortunately it was caught.

At bat 2: 3 pitch single to center

Another textbook at bat for Yordan, taking two balls well off the plate before swiftly brushing a low fastball into center field for a single.

At bat 3: 2 pitch lineout to right

After taking a low ball, Yordan made really good contact on a low offspeed pitch and pulled it well into right, but Dahl made a nice catch to rob Yordan of what was probably a double.

At bat 4: 5 pitch flyout to center

After once again taking two fastballs for balls, Yordan fouled off two pitches, one fastball and one offspeed inside and then hit a low offspeed to center field pretty well, but where Garcia caught it for the out.

Again Yordan got pinch hit for in the bottom of the 8th, kinda surprising considering he was hitting the ball extremely well and had some really hard hit outs. Overall he was getting really unlucky, he had some very good at bats with good batted balls that just ended up being caught.

Today’s statline: 2-5, double, single, 2 K

At bat 1: 3 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan fouled off a changeup in the lower half of the zone and then watched a curve in the same spot. He then took a hack at a changeup quite a bit out of the zone and missed for a quick 3 pitch strikeout.

At bat 2: 3 pitch single? to second base

Yordan fouled off a high changeup and then took a fastball low for a strike. He then stroked a pretty good ground ball to second, which probably would have been a clean single without the shift. Kiner-Falefa got to it with the shift but bobbled it, and Yordan reached base. I’m not sure how the scoring official will score it, but it looked like a single to me.

At bat 3: 10 pitch double to left

The best Yordan at bat I have seen all season. He quickly went down 0-2 after 2 nice curves hitting the outside of the zone, but then adjusted and did practically everything right after that, fouling off 5 pitches, most of them though inside offspeed pitches that he could have easily struck out on. He fouled off a bunch that were opposite field but foul, until on the 10th pitch he took a fastball that missed and caught too much of the plate into the opposite field for a stand up double. Just a hitting masterpiece from him, great discipline and work to go from an easy out into an extra base hit.

At bat 4: 7 pitch strikeout swinging

Yordan again had a great at bat, working from a 1-2 to a 3-2 count with more hard inside fouls. However this time he wasn’t as lucky, as he ended up swinging and missing at a fastball low on a full count.

At bat 5: 2 pitch groundout to third base

After taking an inside fastball, Yordan swung away at another low pitch and hit a weak ground ball to the shifted 3B (I think), who threw out Yordan easily.

… Turns out they pinch ran for Yordan in the bottom of the 10th. I can understand it kind of since the Astros needed one run to win, but I don’t know about taking your best hitter out of the game, especially since the Astros failed to score that inning.

At bat 1: 4 pitch single to right

After taking 2 fastballs in the zone for a 0-2 count, Yordan took a ball and then got another low curve in the zone. While yesterday he may have hit something like that into the dirt, today he got a great swing off on it and lined it into the corner in right. He later came in to score after Gurriel put together one of the greatest at bats I’ve ever see with 4 foul balls to work from a 1-2 count into a 2 run home run.

At bat 2: 4 pitch groundout to shortstop

Yordan took a ball, and then check swing fouled off a high fastball. He then took another fastball on the outer side of the plate before swinging at an inside pitch and grounding out to the shifted SS.

At bat 3: 5 pitch sac fly

Yordan took the first 4 pitches of the at bat, one of which was an outside strike and the rest of which were high and outside, for a 3-1 count. Then he popped up a low pitch to the short left field, but it scored a run, so I guess that was a win.

At bat 4: 7 pitch home run to right

Just a great at bat by Yordan here, as he took the obvious up and in balls and fouled off the inside pitches from Sandoval before getting a middle inside fastball in his wheelhouse that he just absolutely rocked to right field. It said 404 ft on the broadcast, but it looked like way more off the bat. Overall just a great demonstration of fundamentals and patience.

1-4, single, K, run scored

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At bat 1: 3 pitch groundout to third (shift)

I wasn’t there to see this at bat, but according to my friend who did, Yordan took an obvious ball and then took another fastball for a strike before hitting a hard ground ball that happened to be caught in the shift.

At bat 2: 6 pitch strikeout swinging

For 5 pitches, Yordan did everything right here, taking those nasty Ohtani splitters off the plate and hitting multiple hard fouls, including one that looked like it hurt off his foot. However, Ohtani threw a nice splitter outside but in the zone that Yordan just whiffed on.

At bat 3: 2 pitch infield single

One of the funnier hits of the evening, as Yordan, after taking a ball, swung away and chopped an opposite field grounder that easily would have been a sure play for any 3B, but instead was an infield single due to the shift. Obviously not what was intended, but another example of Yordan keeping defenders honest, intentional or not.

At bat 4: 2 pitch fielder’s choice to shortstop

Not really much to say here, Yordan took the first pitch for a strike and then swung away at another low, outside pitch and hit a dribbler to the shifted SS who threw home to to get Diaz out.

At bat 1: 5 pitch strikeout swinging

After taking two offspeed pitches for a 1-1 count, Yordan fouled off a hard inside pitch and took a ball off the plate for a 2-2 count, before swinging and missing pretty badly at a low offspeed pitch.

At bat 2: 6 pitch popout

Yordan took the first 4 pitches of the at bat, the first three of which were balls, and then fouled off a low fastball. He then took a pretty bad swing at a pitch in a similar spot. hitting it super high for a popout. It’s actually the first time I’ve seen him hit a popup like that, like Joey Votto, Yordan’s lefty swing discourages popups like those. Both are also extremely complete lefty hitters with a great blend of power and patience. Some food for thought.

At bat 3: 1 pitch groundout to first

Not really much to talk about here, Yordan swung at a low offspeed curve for the first pitch and pulled one right to the 1B for the unassisted out.

At bat 4: 2 pitch popout to third

Not really much to talk about here either, Yordan swung and missed at the first pitch, and then sent a pitch opposite field. With a little bit more power it probably would have been a bloop hit, but the Angels 3B (think it was Gosselin) made a nice play to make it a popout.

At bat 5: 4 pitch strikeout swinging

I didn’t get to watch the first two pitches, but man, Yordan did not look good on his last two swings, both of which were bad swings on offspeed way out of the zone. I guess the cards just weren’t in his favor today.

At bat 1: 3 pitch single to center

Yordan took the first 2 pitches of the at bat, both of which were strikes low in the zone on fastballs. He then took the next pitch, a curve in a similar spot, and dumped it into center field for a single.

At bat 2: 2 pitch flyout to right

After a borderline strike call on a low curve, Yordan took a pretty good swing at offspeed in his wheelhouse, but he just didn’t put enough power into it, as it died in right field.

At bat 3: 4 pitch single to center

Similar to his 1st at bat, Yordan took the first two pitches from the reliever, both of which were strikes. He then fouled off an outside pitch before taking an inside curve into center for another single. Great approach by him to adjust and hit the offspeed, proving that he can’t just be tempted by the dirt pitches anymore.

At bat 4: 7 pitch double to left

After an absolutely dog s**t Bregman 3rd strike call, Yordan came up and swung and missed at two pitches in the outer half, a fastball in the zone and an offspeed nowhere close. Then he did what Yordan does best, taking tough outside pitches and fouling off others before taking another low fastball and driving it with force to the opposite field for a deep double. Great hit by him and amazing fundamentals to work from a 0-2 count to that situation.

At bat 1: 6 pitch strikeout swinging

My computer froze in the middle of the at bat so I didn’t get to see the conclusion, but based on the ESPN info I would guess that Yordan was fouling off and recognizing the pitches high in the zone as always, but then was fooled by offspeed low in the zone. He was pretty passive for the first 4 pitches I saw, so maybe he’s just seeing the ball this first at bat.

At bat 2: 3 pitch homerun to extreme left

Haha this was the most lucky home run I’ve ever seen in my life. Yordan took the first two pitches, one of which almost hit him, and then took a slider opposite field for what for all intents and purposes, should have been a flyout. The ESPN graphic doesn’t even show it as out of the stadium. Lucky break that it eeked into the crawford boxes for a 2 run home run, he definitely deserved one after the horrible calls he got last game.

At bat 3: 5 pitch single to center

Another classic Yordan at bat. After working into a 2-2 count with some good takes and a foul ball, Yordan took low offspeed that stayed in the zone and stroked it into center for a run scoring single. Just a great approach that exemplifies his strength to adjust and attack as a hitter.

At bat 4: 4 pitch groundout

The reliever Yordan faced was clearly trying to establish the offspeed low and out of the zone, which Yordan was clearly biting on, as shown by his 2nd pitch where he missed badly at a pitch low. He ended up swinging at a similar low pitch and grounding out to second. He sort of hobbled after he hit it, even with the shift there was no chance he could run it out.

At bat 1: 8 pitch flyout to center

It definitely looked like Stripling was trying to establish the outside half of the zone, as all three of his first pitches were outside, leading to a 2-1 count with him painting the outer edge. Yordan eventually worked it into a full count with multiple hard fouls, but then Stripling threw a high fastball that Yordan hit pretty well, but was caught in the cavernous CF in Minute Maid.

At bat 2: 5 pitch strikeout looking

The second time he came up, Yordan was extremely passive. After a hard foul for his first pitch, Yordan simply watched the next 3 pitches, all of which were fastballs somewhat close to the zone and low, and then watched a knuckle curve fall into the zone for strike 3.

At bat 3: 3 pitch single to short left

Like at bat 2, Yordan once again looked pretty passive for the first two pitches, barely moving the bat. However, on his 3rd pitch he got a low inside pitch in his wheelhouse, and despite a bit of a mis-hit he had enough power to punch it into shallow left. Pretty good approach overall, and the solid fundamentals led to a hit despite a less-than-optimal hit.

At bat 4: 3 pitch single to left

Kinda funny to say, but this was pretty much exactly what happened in the 3rd at bat all over again. He saw two pitches, one of them an offspeed foul, and then used his natural power to take a low fastball opposite field for another single. It’s hits like this that I love the most from Yordan, where he simply uses his raw power and quick swing to simply take what the pitchers give him.

At bat 5: 3 pitch groundout to first, RBI

Yordan took two good pitches again for a 1-1 count, before finally reaching on a low outside pitch for the first time all night. It went about as good as you would expect, as he pulled it extremely to the right field side and it was an easy unassisted out for Vlad at first.

Overall:

Another great game for Yordan, proving that even with being a bit aggressive and things not going his way he wanted (most notably on his strikeout looking), he could still contribute in a big way and help the team win. His discipline looked as good as always and aside from his last at bat, I didn’t see a single bad pitch he swung and didn’t connect on. Great game, the 2nd in a row, hopefully this is the beginning of a hot streak.

Gonna be trying a different style of analysis today, by breaking down every at bat instead of a game summary. Let me know which one you prefer.

At bat 1: 4 pitch strikeout swinging

Once again, Yordan did come out aggressive, swinging at a couple bad low pitches. He did take one off the plate for a ball, but then struck out on a fastball high in the zone. It definitely looked like he was adjusting to the mid 90s heat Cole was throwing, and as we saw in the next at bats, he definitely did.

At bat 2: 4 pitch home run to right

I will say, Yordan did not look good in the beginning of the at bat. He swung and missed badly at a Cole slider down and a fastball up. However, it only takes one pitch, as Cole threw a fastball inside and low into Yordan’s sweet spot as he connected on a beautiful lefty swing that sent the ball 424 feet. Great job by him to locate and launch that even in an obvious pitcher’s count.

At bat 3: 6 pitch home run to center

Another one of those at bats where Yordan quickly dug himself into a hole, but then worked into a decent count and then capitalized on another inside middle meatball. He quickly dug himself into a 0-2 hole on some pretty bad swings, but then worked into a 2-2 count and fouled off some hard pitches before launching another bomb into monument park. Just some great discipline on the last 2 at bats.

At bat 4: 8 pitch single to center

Yordan had a valiant at bat here against that Yankees lefty reliever, working into a full count with multiple hard fouls away before slamming a high fastball into center field for a single. I was extremely impressed with his approach here, as the pitcher was obviously trying to get him to chase away and he just kept fouling them back, eventually forcing him to throw a mistake. Textbook example of what makes him such a dangerous hitter.

Overall:

Not really much to say outside of what I already wrote. Yordan did struggle a bit in the beginning, but he started locating the pitches and working into good counts, and the Yankees eventually caved in and threw him fastballs in the zone, which he pummeled. I was in a group chat with a couple of my Yankees friends during this game debating Yordan vs Judge as a hitter, and boy did it feel good to see Yordan go 3-4 with two homers while Judge went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Very encouraging to see such a bold display after a down game yesterday, hopefully this is the start of a hot streak!

I feel like with Yordan’s first multi-homer game, this is a great time to introduce a Yordan flair. Mods please?