In September, I watched a game on TV. A batter swung at the first pitch he saw and boom, it was gone. The batter crushed a first-pitch home run.
After watching that game, I was just thinking if that batter frequently smashes first-pitch home runs. To understand a little bit more, I decided to check on the MLB website.
Corey Seager missed some playing time in 2024. However, he still crushed 30 home runs this season. Among those 30 home runs, 13 of them were first-pitch home runs. Seager likes to swing at the first pitch and his batting average was .388 during the regular season.
In addition, Aaron Judge is the AL MVP favorite. He has a great season, slashing .322/.458/.701 with 58 home runs and 144 RBI. Among those 58 home runs, 11 of them were first-pitch homers. While swinging at the first pitches, Judge owned a batting average over .400.
Meanwhile, Pete Alonso blasted 34 home runs in 2024 and 10 of those home runs were first-pitch homers. Alonso had a batting average of .342 while swinging at the first pitches. Moreover, Brent Rooker had a fantastic season. Rooker slashed .293/.365/.562 with 39 home runs and 112 RBI. And he blasted 10 first-pitch home runs. Rooker’s batting average was over .400 while swinging at the first pitches.
At the same time, 4 other players each smashed 9 first-pitch home runs during the regular season.
Now, it’s October. So, let’s take a look at some players who had crushed several first-pitch home runs over the last 4 seasons. From 2020 to 2023, Jose Altuve blasted 14 home runs in the postseason and 7 of those home runs were crushed at the first pitches. Furthermore, Bryce Harper smashed 11 home runs in the postseason in 2022 and 2023. 5 of those home runs were first-pitch homers.
Finally, Corey Seager was the World Series MVP in 2020 and in 2023. And he played October baseball in 2021 as well. In those 3 postseasons, he smashed 16 home runs. And he crushed 5 first-pitch home runs. The most unforgettable one is probably the 2-run home run that Seager crushed at the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 1 of the 2023 World Series to tie the game. Furthermore, Travis d’Arnaud smashed 7 home runs over the last 4 postseasons and 3 of them were first-pitch homers. Yordan Alvarez had 11 home runs in the postseason from 2021 to 2023 and 3 were first-pitch home runs.
Hitting isn’t easy. A good hitter knows his zone and swings at the pitches that he can do damage. For a batter, it’s important to be patient. But sometimes, the best pitch is the first pitch you see. And we see that several hitters don’t waste time but just crush the first pitches during the regular season and in the postseason. In the 2024 postseason, there are 10 first-pitch home runs thus far. Can we see someone smash a first-pitch home run to change a game in the coming series?
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