Luis Robert Jr. found himself in a favorable count after taking Boston Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly’s first two pitches for balls in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game at Rate Field.
Kelly threw a fastball over the heart of the plate, and the Chicago White Sox center fielder made him pay — hitting a game-tying, two-run home run to right-center.
It was Robert’s first home run of the season. In fact, it snapped a career-high 46-game homerless streak that stretched over 203 plate appearances.
“I don’t know exactly,” Robert told reporters through an interpreter on Saturday when asked how the drought happened. “It was a little strange because before, I had some hard-hit contacts, but for whatever reason the balls didn’t go out.
“Sometimes, that’s baseball. But it was weird for me.”
Robert’s first home run since Aug. 16 of last season helped the White Sox rally for an eventual 3-2 victory. Robert scored the game-winning run in the ninth. He drew a leadoff walk, stole second with one out and scored easily on Brooks Baldwin’s single to left.
Asked what he enjoyed more, the home run or the stolen base, Robert picked the long ball.
“The home run because if I wouldn’t have hit that homer, we wouldn’t have got to that situation in the ninth,” he said. “I’m very happy I was able to hit that one.”
Robert is aiming for more of that type of production after starting the season 8-for-52 (.154) with one home run, four RBIs, seven walks, six stolen bases and seven runs in 15 games.
“I know I have to go step by step, reinforce in my mind, ‘OK, this is a process,'” Robert said. “It’s a long season. I know sometimes you’re good for a week, and sometimes you’re not that good for two weeks.
“It’s a long season, and in baseball, you have more bad moments than good moments. When you have a good moment, you have to hold it and try to keep it as long as you can.”
Robert went 0-for-3 with one walk in Tuesday’s 12-3 loss to the Athletics in front of 10,673 at Rate Field.
He made an impact defensively with a leaping catch near the wall in left-center in the fourth inning to take away an extra-base hit from Brent Rooker.
But the Sox couldn’t contain Tyler Soderstrom, who hit a pair of three-run home runs — the first against starter Sean Burke in the first inning and the second against reliever Penn Murfee in the sixth.
The Sox surrendered season highs of 12 runs and 13 hits.
“The stuff felt fine, just not getting it to good spots, not getting ahead of guys as much,” said Burke, who allowed five runs on six hits with two strikeouts and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. “It’s more the ability to make pitches when I need to.”
Andrew Vaughn hit a three-run home run in the loss.
Vaughn’s home run was just the second for the Sox in the last 10 games. Robert’s blast against the Red Sox was the other.
General manager Chris Getz noted some positives with Robert’s approach at the plate this season.
“If you look at the whole — his walk rate is up (10.3% this year compared to 6.6% last season, according to MLB Statcast), he’s not chasing like he has in the past when he’s gone through struggles,” Getz said on Friday. “Early on in the season, I know players look up and they look at a batting average and just their numbers in general, you’ve got to be mindful that you’ve got to stick to the plan. And he’s been very intentional with how he’s approaching his at-bats right now.
“He hasn’t gotten the hit results. Early on, especially when the weather’s cold, I think it’s vital for guys to take their walks and then that’ll pay off as the season goes on. We still feel like he’s in a very good spot.”
Robert has the mindset of “keep grinding.”
Photos: Chicago White Sox fall to the Athletics on Jackie Robinson Day at Rate Field
“Sometimes I feel like I’m having a good at-bat,” he said Friday. “Sometimes I make good contact, but the ball doesn’t drop. And sometimes, you don’t get results and you start tweaking stuff you shouldn’t. Just trying to figure it out.”
The Sox offense as a whole is looking for consistency, entering Tuesday ranked 28th in the majors with a .201 team batting average. It’s a squad missing several pieces because of injury, including outfielders Andrew Benintendi (left adductor strain), Mike Tauchman (right hamstring strain), Austin Slater (right knee meniscus tear) and catcher Korey Lee (left ankle sprain).
“I know that I am a fundamental piece in this team in this offense and I know that when I’m doing good, I’m helping the team and the team looks better,” Robert said. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out your way and you have to work through that and figure out how to get back on track.
“I think I’m one of those players that the opposing pitchers make their plan to not get beat by me, but at the end, I have to figure out stuff too.”
And that’s what he’s focused on achieving.
“Like every other player, you try to figure out stuff and find out why you aren’t getting the results,” Robert said. “I’ve been positive. I like to be positive. And I like to work on getting to the point where I want to get.”
White Sox on Jackie Robinson Day
Tuesday was Jackie Robinson Day throughout Major League Baseball.
As a tribute, Sox manager Will Venable donated books about Robinson’s legacy — written by Robinson’s daughter Sharon — to each classroom at Minnie Miñoso Academy.
