St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker hits a two-run home run off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman during the fourth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Entering Thursday night's game, Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman hadn't allowed a home run on an 0-2 pitch in more than five years.
Then Jordan Walker crushed an 83.7 mile-per-hour slurve from Stroman into the left field bleachers for a two-run home run in the fourth inning.
Stroman last gave up an 0-2 homer on April 1, 2018, when he was a member of the Blue Jays and Brandon Drury of the Yankees took him deep on an 0-2 count.
Amazingly, two of Walker's nine home runs have come on two strikes, a team-best.
His other 0-2 blast came June 17 against the Yankees' Kodai Senga.
As a team, the Cardinals' are batting .145 with an 0-2 count and have six 0-2 homers this season.
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Despite ranking seventh on his team in home runs, Walker is the only Redbird with more than one on an 0-2 count.
Walker is hitting. 192 in 0-2 counts. Paul Goldschmidt (.222) is the lone everyday player to fare better on 0-2 counts.
Just three players have more than Walker's two 0-2 home runs this year, St. Louisan Jake Burger of the White Sox (3), the Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton (3) and the Dodgers' J.D. Martinez (3).
⚾Jordan Walker! HR (9)
— Home Run Report (@homerunreport) July 21, 2023
7/20/23 @ CHC, ⬆️ 4th
vs RHP Marcus Stroman
103.8 MPH / 23° / 398 ft to LF
Off a 83.7 MPH slurve
▶️It's a home run in 20/30 parks.◀️
See this play in Gameday: https://t.co/rTpJTOBq7z pic.twitter.com/5llbg9MTOf
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