Burgermeister Meisterburger
Burgermeister Meisterburger may have hated toys, but Jake Burger thoroughly enjoyed toying with Ian Seymour yesterday, blasting two 400+ foot HRs yesterday to lead Texas to an 8-6 win over the Rays. Burger opened the scoring for the Rangers in the bottom of the second with a solo shot to left-center. In the fourth inning, he waited on a changeup out over the plate and smashed 105.7 mph and 428 feet for a two-run HR. The multi-homer game was Burger’s second of the season and he has now reached the 25 HR plateau for the first time since 2024 with Miami. At this point in his career, Jake Burger just is who he is and that is probably not going to change. He’s going to provide very good power, with no walks, lots of strikeouts and an adequate battin average. And that type of player can certainly be valuable, especially for a Rangers team that is sitting just two games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
Let’s see how the other hitters did on Sunday:
Jake Bauers (MIL): 1-2, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB.
Another “Jake B.”, Milwaukee’s reinvented superstar had another nice day at the plate on Sunday, hitting a two-run HR and walking three times as the Brewers fell in Cincinnati 12-8. After hitting his 24th longball of the season, Bauers has now doubled his previous career-high in that category.
Elly De La Cruz (CIN): 2-4, HR, 2B, R, 4 RBI.
Elly De La Cruz ripped a two-run HR (105.5 mph, 402 ft) in the bottom of the fourth and added a go-ahead two-run double in the next inning as the Reds held off each counter-punch by Milwaukee on Sunday. Because Cincinnati sits at the bottom of the NL Central, the improvements Elly has made at the plate this season might not be as well publicized as they should be. He has career-highs in AVG, OBP, SLG, BB%, wRC+ and is two HR’s shy of his 2024 mark. One of the keys to De La Cruz’s success this season has been improved patience and good eye at the plate, as he’s improved his Chase % from 28.5% (46th percentile) in 2025 to 25.9% (73rd percentile) in 2026.
Ronald Acuña Jr. Jr (ATL): 2-3, HR, 2B, R, 4 RBI.
Ronald Acuña Jr. Jr continues to stoke the fiery hatred that Phillies fans have for him, as he blasted a game-tying three-run HR (105.9 mph, 414 ft) in the top of the eighth inning and the Braves would end up scoring the game-winning run later in the inning. Acuna has really found his form over the past week, hitting .464/.484/.857 with three HR and ten RBI, as Atlanta looks towards the postseason.
Eli White (BOS): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Former Brave Eli White provided all the offense Boston needed with a three-run HR (103.5 mph, 384 ft) off Kyle Bradish in the second to power the Sox to a 3-1 win over Baltimore. With Ceddanne Rafaela on the IL, White should get a good amount of playing time in center over the final few weeks of the season and can make his case for a postseason roster spot with more perofrmances like Sunday’s.
Heriberto Hernández (MIA): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.
If I wasn’t a Pirates fan I would be rooting for the Marlins to steal the last playoff spot in the National League as they have been an awesome story to follow this season. One of the catalysts of their upstart offense has been Heriberto Hernández, who hit his 24th HR (101.2 mph, 372 ft) of the season off Clay Holmes and stole his 11th base in Miami’s 10-3 win over Chicago.
Vinnie Pasquantino (KC): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB.
Vinnie Pasquantino got the party started early for Kansas City with a three-run HR (103.1 mph, 406 ft) in the first inning and added two walks as the Royals took down the Blue Jays 6-1. Pasquantino has had a disappointing 2026, but he now has four HRs in his last 15 games and will look to build some momentum as Kansas City looks to the 2027 season.
Ivan Herrera (STL): 3-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, HBP.
The Cardinals outlasted the Rockies 10-8 on Sunday thanks to a three-hit game from Ivan Herrera. His two-run double in the eighth gave St. Louis a 9-5 lead and proved to be the difference as the Cardinals cling to playoff hopes, sitting four games back of the final Wild Card spot.
Jake McCarthy (COL): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Jake McCarthy continued his resurgent season in the Rockies’ loss, hitting his 15th HR (104.1 mph, 435 ft) of the season in the eighth and adding a two-run single in the ninth as he tried to single-handedly pull his team back in the game.
Sam Antonacci (CHW): 3-4, 3 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Chicago White Sox cruised to a 10-1 win over the Twins on Sunday thanks to three doubles from leadoff hitter Sam Antonacci. The 23-year old has been excellent at getting on base in his first big league season, as his .367 OBP ranks fourth among all qualified rookies.
Randal Grichuk (CHW): 2-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.
Randal Grichuk entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning and made the most of his time in the game, getting a walk, an RBI single and a solo HR (99.1 mph, 361 ft) in the White Sox victory. While his HR came off a right-handed reliever, Grichuk has done most of his damage this season against LHP, hitting .304/.351/.623 with a 168 wRC+ and nine of his twelve HRs against southpaws.
