WATCH: Mervis mashes first career home run originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The long wait is finally over for Chicago Cubs first baseman Matt Mervis, as he clobbered his first career home run in style at Minute Maid Park Tuesday.
Mervis came to the plate with the Cubs trailing by a run and hit a scorching line drive to right field, with the ball loudly slamming into the foul pole to give the slugger his first career home run:
According to StatCast, the ball would have been gone in 27 of the 30 Major League stadiums, but it would not have been a home run at Wrigley Field, where the right field foul pole stands 353 feet from home plate.
That foul pole is the furthest from home plate in the big leagues.
Chicago Baseball
The exit velocity was 110.7 miles per hour, and would have traveled an estimated 393 feet if it hadn’t hit the foul pole, according to StatCast.
Coming into the game, Mervis had three RBI’s and a total of seven base hits in 32 at-bats with the Cubs. He had one double and zero home runs, and was slashing .219/.265/.250.
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The Cubs will certainly hope the home run will get him out of his funk at the plate, as he had hit six home runs in the minor leagues prior to his call-up earlier this month.
