NEWSLETTER
[adinserter block=”1″]If I told you two Chicago Cubs hit homers on a given day, you wouldn’t easily be able to guess which two were the most likely culprits. Even if I told you it was two homers from a couple guys you’d expect to hit some homers, you’d still have a good six or seven guess. And even if I told you the homers both came from the left side of the plate, there are a ton of possibilities.
Such is the Cubs’ powerful lineup.
How about if I tell you that the homers came from lefty hitters who’ll turn 27 in August? You got it: Jason Heyward and Anthony Rizzo both went deep yesterday in the 3rd inning yesterday. Let’s enjoy.
Heyward was first, with a rocket shot so hard that it’s difficult to track the ball (for added fun, make sure you watch the pitcher’s reaction):
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The pitcher literally kicked the dirt. Reports at the game had that one going more than 450 feet, and the crowd’s reaction was fantastic. Heyward has such a unique swing, and it’s easy to see why he doesn’t hit a lot of homers, but also easy to see why, when he does, he hits them haaaaard.
Anthony Rizzo went deep a couple batters later with a very different type of homer:
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As you know from Michael’s deep dive on batted balls yesterday, these homers were totally prototypical Rizzo and Heyward. Although Heyward’s was a laser, Rizzo’s was a moonshot. The former hits a lot of line drives and grounders, while the latter hits a lot of fly balls. More than one way to skin a goat.
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