July 6, 2014 marks the day Kolten Wong was reinstated from the disabled list. That was 6 games ago. In the six games since, Kolten Wong has (pleasantly) surprised us all. In six games, Wong has hit 4 home runs. Oh, and in those 6 games, the Cards have gone 5-1 and have pulled within one game of the Brewers in the NL Central.
Before I officially get into this, I’m going to rewind my night and tell you where my thoughts are coming from…. I was having a heated Mario Cart battle with my kids tonight, when my husband said to me, “Well, guess we’re not missing much of a game tonight; the Brewers are up 6-0.” With an exasperated sigh and a roll of my eyes, I continued my Mario Cart dominance (yes, over a 4- and 6-year-old), got the kids to bed, and THEN decided to turn on the game. At that point, St. Louis was down 6-2. Then, up walks the newfound pitch crusher (yes, I’m embellishing, but I’m living in the moment).
Top of the 6th, first man up, Wong launches one off his bat to right. Kolten ignited a 4-run comeback that included a Peralta homer; walks to Holliday, Cruz, and Carpenter; and singles by Craig and Jay. Game tied 6-6. I think when I turned on the game, I brought my Mario Cart domination in the form of luck for the boys in red.
Since July 6, Wong’s batting average is .368, with 4 home runs. That’s a lot of home runs in such a short amount of time. On this streak, he should totally be in the home run derby during next week’s all-star week. Yes, another embellishment, and yes, still living in the moment.
Wanna know how many home runs Kolten hit last year in the bigs? None. Goose egg. Nada. Not a one. He has 5 so far this year. That’s an increase of 5 home runs. I don’t know about you, but I still haven’t hit any home runs in the bigs. Granted, he only played in 18 games last year, but still, that’s a pretty good increase in home runs.
In case you’ve missed it, there has been a lot of talk of the loss of Yadi for 8-12 weeks. This work by Wong with the bat is a good sign. He can be the spark plug the team needs right now. No, I’m not saying he is replacing Yadi (obviously, he plays second…), but somebody needs to step up to the plate (pun intended) and try to rally the team.
Now, to get down to business and start coming up with some really good nicknames for Kolten Wong. Pitch Crusher? Cardinals’ Second Batsman? The Homerun Whisperer? Obviously, I’m open to suggestions.
As always, Go Cards!
Photo: kansascity.com
