WASHINGTON – Over his 16 seasons in the big-leagues, Mark Buehrle has managed eight hits in 131 plate appearances, which is why he considers his lone home run such a personal highlight.
"I try to tell people and friends who sit there and say is hitting that hard, I say, ‘Look, how many guys are in the minor-league system right now trying to get to the big-leagues to hit.’ I haven’t hit since ’97 when I was a senior in high school besides a few at-bats here and there, we don’t practise hitting, we don’t hit, and then we go out there and face major-league pitching. … Hitting a home run, just me getting a hit, every time I get a hit I’m happy," says the Toronto Blue Jays left-hander. "I just want to put the ball in play, I hate striking out, but it’s going to happen 90 per cent of the time. I can break my bat and ground out to the pitcher, I’m just glad I put the ball in play."
Buehrle puts his career OPS of .186 to the test Wednesday night in the series finale against the Washington Nationals and right-hander Taylor Jordan, starting in place of Stephen Strasburg, who was just put on the disabled list.
Mark Hendrickson is the only Blue Jays pitcher to hit a home run, a solo shot June 21, 2003 off Sun-Woo Kim in what finished as an 8-5 loss to the Montreal Expos. Buehrle’s homer, also a solo shot, came June 14, 2009 in the Chicago White Sox’s 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, tying the game 1-1 against Braden Looper in the third inning.
It was on a full count pitch, and Buehrle didn’t see it clear the wall in right-centre.
"Early in spring training, we had a game, I think we went out to San Francisco kind of like we went to Montreal (for an exhibition), and I hit a ball down the line and it bounced, hit the wall, and it was a perfect rebound for the outfielder, he chucked the ball to second so I got a single out of it," Buehrle remembers. "I looked over at the bench and I remember that everyone was yelling at me because I wasn’t on second base. I don’t hit many balls solid, usually my hands are throbbing, and I barely ground out, so (against the Brewers) when I hit it, I put my head down and started running because as soon as I hit it, I’m getting a double out of this so I don’t get worn out again.
"Hauled butt down to first and rounding first, then being in Milwaukee, there were a lot of Sox fans so as soon as I rounded first I saw both outfielders run to the wall and just stop, and I was like, ‘What the hell just happened? No way this ball just went out of here.’ But I didn’t see the ball land so I just started trotting. … I didn’t really know what it feels like to hit a home run, I just knew my hands weren’t stinging and I hit on a good part of the bat. I was going to be on second base if that ball landed in fair territory."
Along with his homer, Buehrle also has two career doubles, three RBIs and 12 sacrifice bunts. His approach in the box is simple.
"Just see it and hit it," he says. "I prefer to bunt if the situation calls for it. I’m looking for a fastball because I feel like if you’re the opposing pitcher, unless you’re known as a good hitter, which obviously the scouting reports show that I’m not, I feel like you’re going to get a fastball most of the time. I tell guys, at times it looks like a softball, it looks enormous, but by the time it comes out his hand and you start thinking about swinging the catcher’s catching it. You’re like, oops, that was too late. It sneaks up on you."
PILLAR ADJUSTS: A strong April (.694 OPS) faded into a difficult May (.494 OPS) for Kevin Pillar, who made some adjustments at the plate and picked up some dividends with his two-homer game off Max Scherzer.
"Any time you make an adjustment at the plate, especially at this level, they’re big adjustments," says Pillar. "You move your hands one inch, it feels like one foot, you move away from the plate, you feel like you’re out of the batter’s box. The leg kick is something that’s great when you’re on time, and you have consistent rhythm with it, (Jose) Bautista is a guy who’s mastered it, but it’s hard to hit without your feet on the ground, so we just tried to keep my feet closer to the ground, start my load early and give myself more time to make judgments on pitches. I think that’s where I go wrong, trying to commit to a pitch too early and not really seeing the pitch. (Tuesday), starting early and getting my foot down early allowed me to slow the game down, slow the pitches down and make better decisions at the plate."
The multi-homer game for Pillar was his first at any level.
"To do it off a guy like Max Scherzer is definitely a real special day for me, a day I’ll never forget," he says.