What made Jiménez's game-winning homer especially remarkable

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With one swing of the bat on Friday, Eloy Jiménez simultaneously ruined a Casey Mize gem and provided the White Sox with enough offense to keep their hold on first place in the A.L. Central. But it was how he hit the homer that made it especially remarkable.

Jiménez, after swinging through a similar pitch earlier in the at-bat, took a 95 mph fastball elevated well out of the zone, and somehow caught up to launch a towering fly ball over the fence.

Jiménez credits both preparation and instincts for the game-winning home run.

“I was looking for a fastball, but that high was just a reaction,” Jiménez said.

The only real surprise for Jiménez was that he didn’t hit the ball farther.

“I thought that ball was like 10 rows deep,” Jiménez said. “But it got enough to score three runs.”

For what it’s worth, Lucas Giolito said he would’ve attacked Jiménez the same way that José Cisneros did, after watching Jiménez whiff on the high heat earlier.

“Sure enough, Eloy being the hitter he is, makes that quick adjustment, and obviously power’s evident,” Giolito said. “All he had to do was get the barrel to it, and see ya later.”

“It’s pretty impressive,” Rick Renteria said. “We are very fortunate, in that we have a bunch of young, talented players. Thankfully, we can see one or the other shine on any given day. That’s been the beauty of them this abbreviated season.”

 

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