Chicago White Sox third baseman Jake Burger entered Sunday's action engulfed in a bit of a slump. After careful analysis from his wife, though, Burger got back on track against the Oakland A's.
Burger went 2-of-4 with a home run in the seventh inning, which turned out to be the difference in an 8-7 White Sox victory. After the game, Burger explained the lengths his wife went, even breaking down video, to help the 27-year-old fix his batting stance.
"She drew a whole diagram and everything," Burger told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. "She was really proud of it, so I have to give her credit."
Coming into Sunday's game in Oakland, things were not going well for Burger at the plate. Over his previous 15 games, Burger was only 6-of-54 with 21 strikeouts while tallying only one home run and four walks. Following his outing versus the A's, Burger increased his career-highs in home runs (18) and RBI (38) while raising his batting average by five points (.220) and his slugging percentage by 13 (.520).
Jake Burger CRUSHED that baseball! pic.twitter.com/gULFVDF759
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 2, 2023
Burger's big day also helped the White Sox snap a two-game skid and avoid a road sweep against the lowly A's. Chicago is still near the bottom looking up at the AL Central standings, occupying fourth place (37-49), but they trail the division-leading Minnesota Twins (42-43) by only 5.5 games.
They say behind every good man is a better woman. After Burger's performance on Sunday, it's hard to argue.
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