Statcast measurement not only oddity involving Rangers’ Joey Gallo

Statcast was up to its old tricks over the weekend, when it measured the second homer of the game by New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez at 461 feet.

It landed at the top of Greene’s Hill, at the base of the Hyundai Club, under its roof, in straightaway center field.

It was in the same general direction as the 456-footer Joey Gallo hit Aug. 1, except Gallo’s hit the roof of the club and hopped over it.

Something is amiss.

“Statcast doesn’t like me, I guess,” Gallo said.

The subject was broached Tuesday with Gallo, who said he doesn’t really care how far he hits home runs. When it was jokingly suggested there might be a New York bias in play, Gallo said his whole family is from New York.

“I’ve always had New York bias,” he said.

Something else is a bit odd with GaIlo, too. The slugger entered Thursday without a home run in 11 straight games, tied for the second-longest drought of his career.

Nothing is amiss there, he assured. He’s still getting on base, via walks more than hits, and he is starting to hit the ball the other way. In his first two at-bats Thursday, the left-handed hitter singled to left field and nearly ended his drought with a double off the left-field wall.

“It’s been awhile,” he said. “I feel good. I’m drawing walks. I just have to get pitches to hit. They’re not just laying them in there for me. I have to earn them. It does make it tougher. I’ve to be smart about being selective. I don’t see strikes, I try to take walks and put a good at-bat together.”

Gallo’s 37 homers entering the series finale against the Seattle Mariners were tied for third in the American League, and his 10.8 home run/at-bat rate was first in the league.

This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 8:20 PM with the headline "Statcast measurement not only oddity involving Rangers’ Joey Gallo."