The Dodgers and the Cubs were playing on Sunday Night Baseball. Well, the first pitch was actually at 4:08 p.m. (PDT) and the lights at Dodger stadium weren’t even turned on. Clayton Kershaw tossed 8 innings with 13 strikeouts. After making 17 starts, Kershaw has a 3.25 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. But, he’s doing much better in night games with a 2.88 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. By far this season, who also plays well in night games?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is currently leading the majors in home runs. He already smashed 26 home runs and 16 of those home runs were hit in night games. In night games, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .348/.456/.680 so far this season. His father did enjoy playing in night games with a .327/.385/.567 slash line.
Ronald Acuna Jr. surely likes to play in night games. He has an OPS of 1.094 in night games with 15 home runs and 34 RBI. In day games, Acuna isn’t hitting very well, slashing only .233/.314/.478. His OPS in day games is .792, which we can see a huge difference between day games and night games.
“Showtime” is normally at night. Shohei Ohtani has 18 home runs in night games thus far. His slash line is .281/.357/.686 in night games. Additionally, Ohtani hits .268 in day games and his OPS is .996, which no one can complain about.
The Houston Astros have been really hot in June and they are taking the lead in the AL West. Yuli Gurriel’s bounce-back is indeed a key reason. Gurriel was hitting only .232/.274/.384 last season and he’s currently hitting .333/.396/.517. In night games, Gurriel slashes .378/.435/.583.
Juan Soto is hitting .274/.399/.426 by far, well, many people believe that he can do better. Soto does hit very well in night games, slashing .336/.441/.563. However, Soto only hits .189/.345/.242 in day games and he still doesn’t have a home run in day games. This is a problem that the Nationals and Soto have to solve.
Moreover, Nick Castellanos also has a 1.000 OPS in night games.
Jacob deGrom is great. No doubt. In night games, deGrom is nearly unbeatable. He posts a 0.34 ERA and a 0.45 WHIP in night games. Opponents only hit .103 against deGrom in night games. He’s definitely a nightmare of MLB hitters.
The Milwaukee Brewers are leading in the NL Central now and their rotation is pretty good. Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff are both having a great season so far. Peralta posts a 2.11 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP in 15 games. In night games, Peralta has a 0.70 WHIP and a 1.74 ERA. Opponents probably don’t know how to hit against Peralta in night games because the batting average against Peralta is only .083. Meanwhile, Woodruff is also pitching well in night games with a 0.75 WHIP and a 2.24 ERA. Woodruff is solid in day games as well, posting a 1.48 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP.
Jose Urquidy already made 13 starts for the Astros and he’s an important player in the Astros rotation. He currently has a 3.32 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. In night games, he’s unbeatable so far, earning 4 wins without any losses.
The Yankees ace is doing his job. Gerrit Cole is still solid this season with a 2.66 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Cole made 10 starts in night games with a 1.91 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. Nonetheless, Cole took 3 losses in day games and his ERA in day games is over 4.
There are more night games than day games in baseball. Players usually prepare for night games routinely. Hence, it’s not a surprise to see well-known players perform extremely well in night games. However, in this season, young stars such as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Juan Soto hit well in night games but couldn’t replicate their performance in day games. Gerrit Cole has an over 4 ERA in day games, but his ERA is under 2 in night games. Is there anything wrong with their preparation?
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