OAJKLAND, Calif. — Jake Burger’s home run power had diminished of late and he had been fighting a slump.
So what’s a good wife to do?
Ashlyn Burger knew what to do. She looked at some video of her husband from a game in which he hit two home runs, compared it to a recent game and noticed a difference in his stance.
“I have to give credit to my wife because I sent her some video to see what she felt was wrong,” Burger said Sunday after hitting a 442-foot home run against Rico Garcia in the White Sox’ 8-7 win against the Athletics. “She wants to get the credit so I’ll give her some of it. Just a mechanical fix. I felt a lot more like myself today.”
A tweet about Burger getting help from his wife drew a huge reaction, including this one from Ashlyn: “You just gotta look at that booty baby!”
Burger, who has taken over regular third base duties since Yoan Moncada went on the injured list, was taken out of manager Pedro Grifol’s lineup Friday after playing in 21 straight games and hitting .102 with one home run, one RBI and 19 strikeouts in his previous 13. He contributed a pinch single against the A’s Friday, and after going 0-for-4 Saturday, he was 2-for-4 including the homer on Sunday.
“Even the series I had three hits, all over 105 mph and when I’m doing that that’s the type of game I play,” Burger said. “I feel like I’m trending in the right direction.”
Thanks in part to Ashlyn.
“She drew a diagram of my stance yesterday and when I hit the home run against [Rays pitcher Zach] Eflin back at home [April 28],” Burger said. “She drew a diagram and everything, she was really proud of it so I have to give her some credit.
“Been going through it for a couple weeks now so it was good to feel myself today. I was feeling what I was feeling about a month ago.”
Burger’s production was good enough to warrant some chatter about All-Star possibilities as a designated hitter, and Ashlyn campaigned for him on social media. But his hitting dropped off.
After Sunday, Burger was batting .220/.273/.520 with a .793 OPS and 18 home runs, which rank second on the team. The homer Sunday was Burger’s first in eight games and second in 16 games.
“There was definitely an issue with where I was setting up, I was a little too upright the last two weeks,” Burger said. “She drew kind of lines to depict where my body, my center of gravity was leaning. Yeah, so I have to give her the credit for that.”
