The Astros saved their best for last on Saturday.
Centerfielder Jake Meyers, batting ninth, hit two home runs and drove in Houston's first six runs in an 8-3 win over the White Sox.
Meyers got the Astros on the board with a solo blast to left field off an 84 mph slider from White Sox starting pitcher Davis Martin, driving the home run 386 feet.
Jake brought his rake to Chi-town.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/pjpNIJGLKa
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 3, 2025
Meyers drove in two runners on the 10th pitch of a two-out, full count at-bat with a triple in the top of the fourth, tying the game at three.
Jake Meyers turns on the jets and ties the game with a 2-RBI triple ♂️ pic.twitter.com/pE0sn4ysSR
— MLB (@MLB) May 3, 2025
Two innings later, Meyers gave the Astros a 6-3 lead with a three-run, two-out home run off relief pitcher Penn Murfee.
Jake Meyers blasts his 2nd homer of the day and has driven in all 6 runs for the @Astros pic.twitter.com/QIWHAQKJ0F
— MLB (@MLB) May 3, 2025
Meyers ended the game 4-for-4 with seven runs batted in (RBI), adding a double in the eighth inning to fall a single shy of hitting for the cycle.
It's rare for a team to get that sort of production from a hitter batting ninth. Per Stathead data, entering Saturday, just 58 of the 1,030 home runs hit in the majors this season (5.6 percent) came from the No. 9 hitter, the lowest among all lineup numbers.
Meyers became the second Astros batter this season to hit two home runs when ninth in the order, joining rookie outfielder Cam Smith, who did so on April 18.
Meyers entered the game batting .262 and raised his average 25 points to .287 with his monster game, which was much needed as first baseman Christian Walker, batting cleanup, continued to struggle.
Walker, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract in free agency, was 0-for-5 on Saturday, dropping his batting average to .190 through 31 games.
With production not coming where Houston would traditionally expect, Meyers stepped up in Saturday's win. If he keeps it up, he might not bat ninth much longer.
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