From the Locker Room: La Pantera and his Amazing, Fantastical Home Run
To help put a little distance between a Kansas City Royals club that had creeped to within two runs of the White Sox on Thursday night, Luis Robert issued a statement home run: A 458-foot, three-run shot, to salt the game away.
So, had Luis hit a longer home run in his life?
"I’m not sure," Robert said postgame. "There’s a lot I hit in Birmingham that were very long. There was another one I hit over the bull [in Durham]. Those are the two I can compare [tonight's] with."
And if you think that as a fan, you're too easily awed by La Pantera's prowess, well, sitaspell next to his own teammates in the dugout. Upon return after the stratospheric blast, what did they have to say to Robert?
Luis, for accuracy and power, switched to English from Spanish: "Wow you’re strong!"
Robert is proving pretty media-adept, shifting gears no matter how "fun" the question lobbed at him is. When asked about who he'd choose among his teammates for a home run derby, La Pantera didn't miss a beat: "The competition is already on, between [José] Abreu and me."
Finally, Robert offered some thoughts on how pitchers are trying to get him out, and to chase. It's a matter not of avoiding breaking balls, but chase breaking balls wasted out of the zone. In fact, Pantera prefers the bendy stuff.
"For me, and for every hitter, it’s easier to hit a homer and get solid contact with a breaking ball hanging in the zone than a fastball," he said. "With a fastball, you have to react faster. It’s not as easy as you think. That’s why I’ve been able to make some damage with those [breaking ball] mistakes, and I’m happy about that."
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Video courtesy of the Chicago White Sox.