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Singles hitters who draw a lot of walks are valuable commodities. The problem for Jason Giambi - besides a lack of speed befitting a singles hitter - is that the Yankees pay him for power.
Steadily, Giambi has lifted himself out of the canyon he dug early in the season, when he was batting .195 on May 9.
He had hit .291 since then through Sunday, but the power was missing. Giambi had just six doubles and five home runs for the season, and no extra-base hits since June 21.
Then came yesterday, when Giambi bashed two home runs against the Baltimore Orioles in the Yankees' 13-8 victory. It was Giambi's first game with two homers since Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, and it rewarded his patience.
"I just wanted to take good at-bats, and I knew if I took good at-bats, I was going to get my hits," Giambi said. "Probably over the last month, I've been hitting the ball harder and harder. Donnie and I haven't pressed, trying to hit home runs. We're just trying to get hits. You've got to crawl before you walk."
The hitting coach, Don Mattingly, has tried to get Giambi to open his hips when he swings, and Giambi said the adjustment was working. But most important, Giambi said, he is simply healthier.
"I'm just starting to feel better physically," Giambi said. "I really think my body's starting to come around and get used to playing every single day. I'm not as tired."
Giambi has had to rebuild his stamina after missing more than half the Yankees' games last season because of injury and illness. His production is a continuing curiosity, after having reportedly admitted to a grand jury that he is a former steroid user.
"He's had to endure a lot of stuff, on and off the field," Manager Joe Torre said. "Today could be the best day he's had."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/sports/baseball/05pins.html?
