upton_gibbyJustin Upton surely generated in performance what he cost the Arizona Diamondbacks in broken bats on Sunday.
Capping off an unbelievable weekend at the plate, Upton went 4 for 4 with a triple and two doubles to lead the D-backs to a 7-0 victory against Colorado. In his past two games, Upton has gone 7 for 9 with nine RBIs.
And what was extra-super remarkable about the nearly 24-year-old Upton in the series finale? His final three hits happened with broken bats, including the triple, which came within a foot or so of making it over the fence in right at Chase Field.
Watch the triple video, in which Upton clutches the handle as the barrel finds its way into the dugout, while the ball is sent 350-some feet away. Upton just shakes his head in disbelief.
In an all-Upton highlights package, note the D-backs broadcasters' reaction as he piles up hit after hit on broken bat after broken bat.
As major leaguers know, it's hard to get a good piece of ash these days (unless Upton swings with maple — not sure). But the quality of the wood doesn't matter as much when the hitter is strong enough and is swinging well enough.
Mark Grace tries to explain the triple, aided by BLS screen caps: {YSP:MORE}
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"For a ball to go that far, it had to have been hit on the barrel."
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* * *
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"But the bat just splinters in two, you can see it."
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"There's that javelin — Kelly Johnson's got it."
[Don Baylor, the batting coach, is about to hand it to Johnson.]
Amazing strength for Upton, who is having a career year so far (.903 OPS, 46 percent better than the league average) in his fourth full season. But imagine what he could do if he ever got good wood on the ball.
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