Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout spoke out about his current home run drought, which is the longest of his career so far.
Trout’s last home run came Aug. 6, when he hit his 398th career home run and 200th at Angel Stadium. Since then, he has stepped to the plate 121 times over 28 games without hitting one over the fence.
“I was thinking about (the drought) for a little bit in the beginning,” Trout said, “but now I’m just trying to put good swings on the ball. I know it’s going to come. I’m not trying to go up there and and try to hit home run. My whole career is just putting good swings on balls and they’ve gone over the fence.”
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Trout’s batting average sat at .240 following Aug. 6’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, however it dropped quite a ways in the weeks following. The slugger batted .188 for the remainder of the month, and had just three extra base hits through 86 plate appearances.
The 11-time All-Star has said multiple times over the past couple of weeks he believes his swing mechanics are the reason for his dip in form.
“When the sequence is good, my swing is there,” Trout said. “I feel like my old self. When it’s not, you guys see, I swing up, swing through the fastball up. I’ve been been grinding through it. I’ve been fighting it for a while now. Even last year, same thing. And the year before that. I would do certain things. Be good for a few days or something. And then it would just go away, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. Now I’ve been getting to a good spot where I’m not turning in. I’m seeing the ball.”
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He has fared much better in September so far, posting a .280 batting average with seven hits and seven runs in 25 at-bats. Trout has 16 games before the end of the season to find the elusive 399th home run, and hopefully the 400th will follow.
The Angels’ next series comes against the Seattle Mariners, and will take place on the road beginning Thursday at 7:10 p.m. PT.
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