Goldschmidt ends HR drought with titanic blast in D-backs’ win
May 11, 2016, 7:28 AM | Updated: May 12, 2016, 11:23 am
It had been 11 games since Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt had homered.
That streak ended Tuesday night, in glorious fashion.
Goldschmidt tattooed a first-pitch fastball from Colorado reliever Gonzalez Germen in the seventh inning into the left-center field bleachers at Coors Field to extend the D-backs’ lead to 5-0.
Arizona won the game 5-1, for their fifth straight victory.
ESPN’s Home Run Tracker measured the blast at 429 feet, and calculated it left the bat at 106.2 miles per hour — the second-highest mark Goldschmidt has posted in seven home runs this season.
It was also the first time Goldschmidt has homered on the first pitch of an at-bat all season.
“It’s just great to see him free and easy, swinging the bat,” manager Chip Hale said following the game. “It’s really important for him, he feels good about it. The adjustment he and (hitting coach) Dave (Magadan) made in the cage yesterday really worked, so he’s just got to keep building on it.”
Goldschmidt will have the opportunity to “build on” Tuesday’s home run in the series finale at Coors Field. Colorado will start right-hander Chad Bettis, who yielded a 445-foot blast to Goldschmidt on Apr. 5 at Chase Field.
