The White Sox took a trip to the Bronx on Friday to play the New York Yankees. It was cold, windy and wet, but the Sox prevailed. Getting the win 9-6 after the game was called off in the seventh inning. The most notable part of Friday’s game, however, was Eloy Jimenez. Despite the monsoon, Eloy Jimenez hit his first home run over the centerfield wall.
Since Jimenez started the season, fans have been waiting with bated breath to see MLB’s third-best prospect hit his first home run. Eloy started the season a little slow as expected, having a bit of trouble hitting the sliders, but he adapted quick.
Jimenez started hitting more as the season has gone on, getting more comfortable at the plate, and going into Friday’s game he had a solid batting average of .279. It was only a matter of time, and Jimenez didn’t disappoint.
With the rain pelting down in the fifth inning, the Sox were down 5-3 fresh off of a Yonder Alonso two-run shot earlier in the inning. Jimenez stepped up to the plate with Moncada on base and nobody out. The count sat at 2-1 and Eloy got a 92 mph fastball and he didn’t miss it. He crushed a ball over the centerfield wall tying up the game at 5-5.
Statcast shows that Jimenez’s homer had a launch angle of 23 degrees and an exit velocity of 108.6 mph. The projected distance of this homer was 425 feet. An impressive shot no doubt, Jimenez’s confidence at the plate only continues to grow and each at-bat he takes he looks more comfortable than before.
Photo Credit: CBS Sports
Not only did Jimenez hit his first career homer on Friday, but he also hit his second career homer. Jimenez came up in the seventh inning in his next at-bat and with a 1-1 count sent a ball over the left field wall for his second career home run. This put the White Sox up 8-6.
Everyone knew Jimenez had tremendous power and that it was only a matter of time before he got the first one out of the way, and fortunately it wasn’t long before he got the second one out of the way too. The ball was absolutely crushed, and Statcast backs it up.
An even bigger shot that the first one, this homer had a launch angle of 24 degrees and an exit velocity of 111 mph. This moonshot had a projected distance of 446 feet. The hits seem to come in bunches as Jimenez finished the game 3-4 with 3 RBI. The game also pushed his batting average to .319.
The White Sox would go on to win the game 9-6 after James McCann hit a solo shot to right field. The game went into a rain delay after this and was eventually stopped altogether.
Jimenez’s future certainly looks bright and he certainly shined in the rain last night. Hopefully, this will be the first two of many home runs Jimenez hits for the Southside Sox. The White Sox will continue the series against the Yankees throughout the weekend.
Featured Image From The Chicago Tribune
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