"I'm a power hitter now" joked Mynorli Gaajlimitz after the game Friday night in Hawaii.
Fans don't come to the ballpark to watch Gaajlimitz hit homeruns. They come to watch him yield his magic with a wooden bat in his hand. The hitting prodigy has been on many fans' radars since the Lumberjacks drafted him 5th overall in the 2057 draft. Still just 19 years of age, the things Gaajlimitz can do with the pitch a pitcher throws and his ability to make contact and get on-base are things that most fans have never seen. But what Mynorli did Friday night was something fans hadn't seen him do at all during his first season in the big leagues.
"I've been in a little bit of a slump lately" Gaajlimitz stated after the game. "I don't try to hit homeruns. But I got a pitch, barreled it up the best I could, and it went out."
The homerun came in the top of the 1st inning off Tropics starter Elvin Hilliard. After swinging and missing at the first Hilliard offering, Gaajlimitz caught a hanging curveball that had little doubt of going out of the park. The ball landed in the left field seats, 374 feet from homeplate. It was Mynorli's first career homerun in the big leagues.
"I didn't feel I hit it as well as other balls I hit" stated Gaajlimitz after the game. "I'm typically a line drive or hard ground ball guy. I typically hit those hard enough that if they did elevate, they'd leave the yard. Typically when I get one up in the air like that, I've missed it and it'll land in someone's glove in the outfield. But I got that one just right and it left the park. I'll take it."
The lucky fan that caught the ball was a Tropics fan who gladly exchanged the ball with Gaajlimitz for a few pictures with the Lumberjacks rookie and an autographed jersey and hat.
The homerun snapped a 2 for 15 slump for the rookie DH. Two days later, Gaajlimitz hit his 2nd homerun. This one, another solo shot, helped propel the Lumberjacks to a come from behind win over the Tropics.
"I told you" Mynorli said after the game. "I'm a power hitter now!"
