Brian Dozier: Home runs don’t matter if team isn’t winning
Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has been one of the MLB’s best surprises this season, flashing a surprising amount of power for a middle infielder with 38 home runs on the year. But with the Twins at the bottom of the AL Central with a dismal record of 51-87, that doesn’t mean a lot to him.
After exploding for three homers in an 11-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Monday, Dozier reflected on the futility of his individual success with the team in the gutter.
“We’re losing a lot of games, and that’s not fun,” Dozier said, per Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. “I hate losing more than anything, no matter if you hit homers or not. It tastes a lot better at the end of the day when you go home, have a cold one, (and) you know you just beat the Royals. That didn’t happen.”
Dozier also pointed to an odd moment when the Minnesota fans gave him a curtain call after the game, despite the loss.
“It was kind of awkward,” Dozier continued. “I didn’t really know what to do, but at the same time it sinks in that, hey, even if you’re on the losing side, you’ve got loyal fans who paid good money to watch us play.”
The 29-year-old Dozier has been perhaps the hottest hitter in baseball lately, complementing his 38 dingers with a .278 batting average, a .926 OPS, and 91 RBIs. But while chicks dig the long ball, they dig winning even more, as Dozier is quickly learning.
H/T theScore
