Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker, 26, isn’t afraid of lefties. He had a hidden helper.
Kyle was interviewed before Game 1 of the Championship Series against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, USA, on June 16.
He was asked what makes him so strong against lefties despite being a lefty.
The two-time All-Star and one-time Gold Glove winner is batting .300 with a .367 on-base percentage and .567 slugging percentage against lefties this season, better than his numbers against righties (.275/0.370/0.489).
“I don’t know if I can put my finger on a special secret,” he said, “but one thing I can tell you is that I grew up playing wiffle ball in the backyard with my older brother.”
His older brother, Preston Tucker, 33, is a familiar face to Korean fans, having played for the Kia Tigers from 2019 to 2021. This season, he was in Triple-A with the San Diego Padres. Like his brother, he is also a left-handed hitter.
“My brother is a lefty, so when he threw me pitches, I would hit the ball,” Kyle said. I think that influenced me a little bit,” he said.
“I don’t really care if I’m hitting lefties or righties. You just go out there and fight as hard as you can and see what happens. I don’t think there’s a secret, but there’s definitely something that helps.” 토토사이트
The fact that the left-hander is not afraid of lefties is a big plus for the batting lineup.
“I think our batting order is very strong overall, and I know there are guys who perform differently depending on the lefty/righty matchup. But overall, I think our bats are a threat left and right,” he said of the Houston lineup.
Manager Dusty Baker was a little more cautious. Moving right-hander Jose Abreu to the fourth spot to drop two lefties, Jordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker, he said, “We’ve got a lefty starting today and we’ve got five lefties in the bullpen. Our lefties are good against lefties, but we’d rather not let them get comfortable with a lefty bullpen.”