The Cleveland Guardians dropped a wild game in Houston, one that ended in favor of the Astros thanks to a Victor Caratini walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth frame.
It was a back-and-forth affair that started with the Guards jumping to a 3-0 lead thanks to a Josh Naylor three-run homer in the first inning.
By the end of the fourth, the Astros were up 8-3, as it wasn’t Carlos Carrasco’s best night.
But Cleveland was able to pull back and tie the game at eight runs apiece with a five-run sixth inning, capped by a three-run blast by Estevan Florial.
That homer came on a 3-2 count, and it proved Cleveland’s supremacy in one specific situation: hitting with two strikes.
That is one of the toughest situations for batters, as the pitcher usually can waste a pitch or two to try and fool the hitter.
In this specific case, the room for error was slim for both pitcher and batter, but Florial managed to put on one of his best swings of the season.
At that moment, it brought the Guardians’ average with two strikes to .187.
“Back and forth we go in Houston. Estevan Florial ties the game. The Guardians are batting .187 with two-strikes this season, tied for 4th best in MLB; League Avg: .167,” Inside Edge tweeted.
Back and forth we go in Houston. Estevan Florial ties the game.
The Guardians are batting .187 with two-strikes this season, tied for 4th best in MLB; League Avg: .167.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/PJfbIWTPRx
— Inside Edge (@IE_MLB) May 1, 2024
As you can see, it’s the fourth-best mark in baseball.
You know hitting with two strikes is incredibly difficult when the league average is .167.
That’s how hard it is.
The Guardians are fourth-best in the league, yet they still can’t break the Mendoza line.
That is exactly why plays like Florial’s have so much win probability added.
Unfortunately, the Guards lost the game, but not without putting up a fight.
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