The legendary Earl Weaver defined his baseball philosophy in three words. Pitching, defense, and three-run home runs. A reluctant small-ball player, Weaver believed that the three-run home run was a winning talisman. As a result, he rarely pitched to score just one run.

Weaver’s love affair with the three-run homer was also based on probability. While situations with two runners on base are common, you don’t often see a bases-loaded situation with runners on every base. In that sense, the three-run home run is a realistic expectation for many games.

This year, there were 73,383 total at-bats with runners on base in Major League Baseball. That’s a total of 2,239 home runs, and only 115 of them were grand slams, or about 5.2%. They’re hard to hit, but they’re also hard to come by.

Two-run homers – 1559 (69.6%)
Three-run homers – 565 (25.2%)
Doubles – 115 (5.2%)

The major league home run leader is Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves. His 52 home runs broke Atlanta’s single-season record for most home runs in a season. However, only two of his 52 home runs were grand slams. Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, who is second on the list, has 45 home runs, but only one is a grand slam. Third-place Shohei Ohtani has two grand slams in his 171 career home runs.

In light of this, Minnesota Twins slugger Roy Lewis’ pace is shocking. Lewis hit his 14th home run of the season against the Chicago White Sox. It was a grand slam that turned a 0-0 game into a 4-0 game. Four of Lewis’ 14 home runs this season have been grand slams. He passed Max Muncy, Adolis Garcia, and Alex Bregman for sole possession of first place on the year.

Lewis’ 2023 home runs

8/28 vs Texas
8/29 vs Cleveland
9/05 vs Cleveland
9/16 vs White Sox

What makes Lewis’ streak even more impressive is the time frame. Lewis has been on a four-game homer streak for about three weeks. According to record-keeping organization Elias Sports, this is the first time in history that four homers have been hit in so few games.

Fewest games with 4+ homers

18 – Roy Lewis (2023)
39 – Don Mattingly (1987)
44 – Travis Hafner (2006)
45 – Jim Northrup (1968)
48 – Ralph Kiner (1949-50)

Lewis is already Minnesota history. No Minnesota hitter had ever hit four home runs in a single season before Lewis. It’s a feat that team legends Rod Curry, Kirby Puckett, and Joe Mauer also failed to accomplish (Curry hit three in 1976 and Puckett hit three in 1992). For reference, the major league single-season record for home runs is six, set by Don Mattingly in 1987 and Travis Hafner in 2006. “You can’t do much better than that,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said of Lewis at the plate.

For Lewis, the walk-off home run was fate. On May 14 of last year, Lewis stepped to the plate for his first walk-off hit in Cleveland. He took a cutter to the plate and sent it over the left field fence. It was the first home run of his career. With that home run, Lewis now has 16 home runs in 67 major league games. He is the only player in baseball history to hit five of his first 16 home runs in a game.

When it comes to extra-base hits, Lewis is hitting all pitches. He has hit two fastballs, a cutter, a slider, and a curveball. The slider and curve, in particular, were thrown after a first-pitch strike. He wasn’t intimidated by unfavorable counts. Pitchers have been using as many different pitches as they can against him with runners in scoring position, but they haven’t found a surefire answer.

Lewis has 13 at-bats with the bases loaded so far. He’s 12-for-7 (.583) with five home runs and 24 RBIs. He hasn’t just hit home runs, he’s also had a single and a walk. He’s not just a home run hitter with the bases loaded. “My teammates are giving me great opportunities,” Lewis said of his monstrous on-base percentage. I’m just focused on making sure I don’t waste those opportunities.”

Lewis was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. He is the second No. 1 overall pick Minnesota has ever signed (Joe Mauer in 2001). Here’s a glimpse of what Minnesota’s expectations are for Lewis.

But Lewis, who was 18 when he was drafted, took time to develop. He didn’t make it through the lower levels. He struggled in high Single-A and Double-A. In 2019, after two levels, he was disappointing, hitting .236 with 12 home runs and a .661 OPS in 127 games.

There were other challenges. In 2020, the minor leagues were canceled due to the coronavirus. In 2021, he tore his ACL in spring training in February. When he returned last year, it looked like he was finally breaking out, but his knee injury flared up again and he was unable to play a full season. He played 12 games in the majors and 14 in the minors. No matter how talented a top prospect is, if he can’t back it up with durability, his value will drop.

Health is still a question mark for Lewis, who missed 36 games this year with a left oblique injury. But a healthy Lewis is showing just how compelling a player he can be. He’s made his mark with one of the most powerful home runs in baseball. He still has a long way to go, but if he can stay healthy for the rest of his career, he could make history.메이저사이트

Major League Baseball Career Home Runs

25 – Alex Rodriguez
22 – Lou Gehrig
21 – Manny Ramirez
19 – Eddie Murray

Over the years, Lewis has been plagued by injuries. However, he’s been able to heal his wounds with the “flower of baseball,” the home run, and the most fragrant of all flowers, the grand slam. Hopefully, the history of the grand slam will not be overshadowed by injuries.