Why did Tommy Edman decide to leave Cardinals today! Another insignifi…
Edman’s wife, Kristen, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, asked for one simple birthday present: a home run.
Instead, Edman went above and beyond and clobbered two, providing the game-winning run in the Cardinals’ 5-4 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
With Edman’s dad strength already in full form, St. Louis’ shortstop notched his first mulithomer game in over two years (May 26, 2021).
“A big part of it was that it’s my wife’s birthday,” Edman said smiling. “She wasn’t expecting two.”
Since the Cardinals dealt Paul DeJong to the Blue Jays ahead of the Trade Deadline, Edman has found a groove offensively since being penciled in as the Cardinals’ everyday shortstop. He has at least one hit in 8 of his past 10 games, batting .351 (13-for-37) with 7 extra-base hits (3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs).
I made a little adjustment at the plate recently. Without getting too mechanical, I changed the direction of my swing and am making sure I’m staying through the middle of the field,” Edman said. “It’s funny that both [home run] balls were pulled today, but I’ve been working through the middle and the opposite-field game.
“But that just shows you that when you’re doing that, you can still pull the ball.”
Edman got things started with a two-run dinger in the top of the second, but it was his 403-foot solo shot in the eighth that solidified his big day, and the Cardinals’ winning road trip. The blast cleared the bullpen in left and left his bat with a 104.5 mph exit velocity.
