BourbonNBaseball

Father of Michael, Josh & Kyle. Husband to Sue. Baseball and Bourbon enthusiast

[The Wolf Man @iTheWolfman]

Not just perfect, it's almost impossible.👌

[Ian Miller @ianmSC]

The Europeans that everyone said weren’t going to show for the World Cup are having the absolute time of their lives at baseball games now

[Truth Troll Official™️ @truthtroll_X]

Sean Strickland at UFC 250.

Imagine being an 🇺🇸 American UFC Champion and not being allowed at a US event for criticizing a foreign terrorist state.

[Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh]

🚨 NOW: Americans are noticing that Japanese World Cup fans are doing MASS CLEANUPS of AMERICAN STADIUMS after the match

"In Japan, we are taught to clean up in school"

Thug cultures destroy and ravage, others clean and build!

This is why we LOVE JAPAN! PURE CLASS ACT! 🇺🇸🇯🇵

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@BourbonHooks @JackDaniels_US I would rather add water 💧. Enjoy!

[Aiden Stepansky @AidenStepansky]

Paul Skenes was driving down Perry Highway in Wexford just past seven o’clock Monday night when the Pirates superstar pitcher made a pit stop. It was a Little League field.

Skenes signed autographs for over two hours, connecting with Pittsburgh's next generation.

For @MLB ⤵️

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@Joe_Eisenmann It is simple. He is one of the most athletic pitchers in the MLB and being 6' 7" helps. How he got there is a different story.
He developed elite explosiveness, strength, flexibility, stride length, etc.

[Baseball’s Greatest Moments @BBGreatMoments]

Gerrit Cole playing peek-a-boo with a baby in the crowd. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face

[Kent Murphy @KentMurphy]

He scored from 2nd base on a sac fly into the dugout �

[Kent Murphy @KentMurphy]

During her senior night ceremony, she surprised her stepdad by asking him to officially adopt her. A moment they’ll never forget ❤️🥹

[Jermaine Curtis @JermaineCurtis]

When I was with the Cincinnati Reds organization, I played against a player from the Texas Rangers organization.

The reason I noticed him was because he used to hit a lot like me.

- Lots of singles.
- A few doubles.
- An occasional extra-base hit.

Not much power.

He wasn't a big guy either.

Maybe 185 pounds soaking wet.

Fast center fielder.

The type of player nobody would look at and think:

"Power hitter."

Then one day I saw him again.

And he looked like a completely different hitter.

Balls were jumping off his bat.

He was driving balls into the gaps.

Hitting home runs.

I remember thinking:

"What happened to this guy?"

A few days later, he hit a double and ended up standing on second base.

So I asked him:

"What did you do differently?"

His answer surprised me.

He said:

"I started hitting with a fungo."

That was it.

A fungo.

I looked at him and said:

"A fungo?"

He laughed.

Then he said:

"Yeah."

"The thing is lighter, so it gives you instant feedback."

"If I take a bad swing, I know it immediately."

"If I roll over, I can feel it."

"If I stay through the baseball, I can feel that too."

"And when I really square one up..."

"You can feel the backspin come off the bat."

Then he said:

"It's teaching me how to catch the ball farther out front."

"I don't know how else to explain it."

"It just gives me feedback."

I couldn't stop thinking about it.

The next day, we were traveling home.

I couldn't wait to try it.

So before batting practice, I grabbed a fungo and started hitting with it.

The feel was completely different.

A few days later, I hit my first home run of the season.

That's when I learned:

Power isn't always strength.

Sometimes it's skill.

He didn't become a different athlete.

He learned a different movement.

So here's what I'd do tonight if I wanted a little power boost:

1. Fungo Tee Work (10 Swings)

Focus on catching the ball out front and staying through it.

2. Fungo Front Toss (10 Swings)

Pay attention to the feel.

Can you feel the barrel staying through the baseball?

Can you feel the backspin?

3. Regular Bat Front Toss (10 Swings)

The first few swings might feel off because your regular bat is heavier.

Don't get discouraged.

Stay with the same feeling you had with the fungo.

Thank you for reading,
Jermaine Curtis

P.S. - If you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful, please share it.

It's free.

Plus, when you share it, it tells me you want more content like this.

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@Retrievals1 https://t.co/5n4T7ojCjP

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

https://t.co/RoRf9xYXLA

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@AmericaFirstCon https://t.co/5n4T7ojCjP

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

https://t.co/RoRf9xYXLA

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@IanCarrollShow @RabbiPoupko https://t.co/5n4T7ojCjP

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

https://t.co/RoRf9xYXLA

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@RepThomasMassie @cspan https://t.co/5n4T7ojCjP

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

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[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

https://t.co/RoRf9xYXLA

[Jermaine Curtis @JermaineCurtis]

When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, we had a team meeting about hitting with two strikes.

Albert Pujols was leading it.

At the time, he was hitting something ridiculous with two strikes.

I want to say it was around .265.

Naturally, everyone wanted to know how.

So somebody asked:

"What's your two-strike approach?"

Albert's answer surprised me.

He said:

"I think fastball inside and hit it back through the middle."

That was it.

No complicated mechanics.

No secret formula.

Just:

Fastball inside.

Back through the middle.

I remember sitting there thinking:

"Why would you think fastball inside with two strikes?"

So somebody asked him.

And Albert said something I'll never forget.

He said:

"If I can hit a fastball inside back through the middle..."

"I can hit the fastball away."

"I can stay on the changeup."

"I can stay on the slider."

"I can stay on the curveball."

Then he paused.

And said:

"The ball gets deeper."

That's when it clicked for me.

He wasn't trying to pull the inside fastball.

He was using one thought to cover everything.

The more I thought about it...

The more it made sense.

So I started trying it.

And it changed the way I thought about hitting with two strikes.

Instead of worrying about every pitch...

I focused on one.

Fastball inside.

Back through the middle.

See it DEEP.

If you're struggling with two strikes, here's what I'd do tonight:

Round 1: Short Box

(Set the distance somewhere between front toss and batting practice.)

Have a coach throw only fastballs inside.

Your only thought:

"Fastball inside."

Drive the ball back through the middle.

10 swings.

Round 2: Mix Speeds

Now the coach mixes:

- Fastballs
- Changeups
- Breaking balls
- Sliders

But your thought never changes.

You're still looking:

"Fastball inside."

10 swings.

Round 3: Two-Strike BP

Every pitch starts 0-2.

Compete.

Battle.

Use the same approach.

"Fastball inside."

Back through the middle.

10 swings.

That's it.

30 focused swings.

One thought.

One approach.

One goal.

Drive the baseball back through the middle.

One thing I've learned:

Most hitters get worse with two strikes because they add thoughts.

Albert got better because he removed them.

With two strikes, simplicity is a weapon.

Thank you for reading,
Jermaine Curtis

P.S. - If you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful, please share it.

(When you share it, it tells me you want more content like this.)

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@d_tao If its Fall 2025, yes!!! Need to try this years...anyone know if it has been released?

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@5149jamesli @NewsWff @grok is this true?

[BourbonNBaseball @edrossy]

@tateraio This is Arizona