MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — After reaching the All-Star break batting .300 with 45 RBIs (both on pace for career highs), hopefully Jedd Gyorko didn’t jinx his second half by spending some R&R with the “MetroNews Sportsline” crew.
Excerpts from his hour-long studio visit, in which the ex-West Virginia star touched on fatherhood, launch angles, and building a house in Morgantown:
On changing his swing to hit the ball in the air:
“Hitting the ball on the ground now, with the shifts, are mostly outs. Been taught your whole life to hit the ball low and hard up the middle, well i started to do that and there was a guy standing right there, so I said something’s gotta change. The way I was thinking, there’s four infielders and three outfielders — there’s a lot of room out there.”
Being a fifth-year big-leaguer at age 28:
“I feel like I’m in a good spot where I can hang out with the older guys — I’m old enough, I’ve been around long enough to be with them. But I’m young enough that the younger guys feel comfortable coming to me and asking me questions.”
The Cardinals’ 43-45 first-half record:
“We’re not where we are but we’re very fortunate and lucky to be where we are. We’re in a division where the Brewers are out in front but there’s not a team that’s running away with it. We’re luck y to not be wit the Astros or the Nationals (because) we’d be pretty much done.”
Enjoying life in a real baseball town:
“The fans are there every single night. Those people genuinely care about baseball and they care about the Cardinals. They want us to do well and they’ve got our backs no matter what. It’s a privilege to play there. … I was out in San Diego, and not to say anything bad about San Diego, but you’d have 15,000 or 16,000 people a night at a game and it’s hard to get up for those games when there’s no one there, there’s no energy. Then you go to St. Louis and there’s never under 40,000, Those people are filing that place up every night and it’s an easy place to go out and play.”
Regarding older brother Goose Gyorko’s twitter spat with Padres fans:
“I haven’t been called into the manager’s office yet about it (in St. Louis), so I guess he has toned it down or at least he has wised up.”
After starting with twin boys, why new baby Brooklyn is definitely daddy’s girl:
“Because she sleeps. The boys didn’t go through an entire night of sleeping until they were over 1. And Brooklyn’s done it pretty much every night since she’s gotten home. So she is way, way my favorite so far.”
Watch the complete “MetroNews Sportsline” broadcast above.