Polanco’s patience at plate leading to more walks
PITTSBURGH — Gregory Polanco’s walks are way up in the early part of the season.
The right fielder had 11 bases on balls in first 49 plate appearances over 11 games going into Saturday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park.
That translated to one walk for every 4.45 plate appearances. Polanco walked 55 times in 652 trips to the plate — once every 11.85 plate appearances — in his first full major league season.
Polanco walked as many as 11 times in just two of six months in 2015.
“I’m not trying to walk, it’s just happening,” Polanco said.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle attributes Polanco’s improved walk rate to the 24-year-old being more confident at the plate. More confidence, in turn, has led to Polanco to laying off more pitches out of the strike zone.
“I have more experience now and I know better what pitches I can hit and which ones I can’t,” Polanco said. “I’m still looking to be aggressive at the plate, looking to get hits, but I also am willing to take more pitches until I get one I can handle.”
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The Pirates ambushed Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander on Monday in a 7-4 victory at Detroit, scoring seven runs in 4 1/3 innings off the 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner.
The Pirates scored in each of the first five innings, the first time they had done that since Sept. 3, 2007 in an 11-0 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis. In that game, the Pirates scored six runs off starter Kip Wells in 3 1/3 innings then five more off Adam Cavazos in 1 1/3 innings.
Jack Wilson had four hits, three RBIs and hit one of two Pirates’ home runs along with Jose Bautista to spark a 16-hit attack. Ian Snell, Juan Perez and Romulo Sanchez combined to pitch a six-hit shutout.
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Major League Baseball held Jackie Robinson Day for the 13th straight season Friday to celebrate the anniversary of the Brooklyn Dodgers infielder breaking the sport’s color barrier in 1947. Hurdle believes the day will come when a female will break baseball’s gender barrier.
“I still believe firmly there’s going to be a day where there’s a female playing in the big leagues,” he said. “I got that. Where it goes, I don’t know. I don’t believe I’ll be in the dugout to see it.”