MiLB Player of the Day: Zach Levenson
THE CARDINAL CHRONICLE
Player of the Day: Levenson Launches Three Homers, Including a Grand Slam
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
Some nights, a player has a good game.
Some nights, he takes over the box score.
On Sunday, Zach Levenson took over the whole farm report.
Levenson is the Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day after going 3-for-3 with three home runs, six RBIs, four runs scored and a walk in Springfield’s 9-3 win over Northwest Arkansas at Arvest Ballpark.
His final line:
3-for-3, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R, BB
That is one of the loudest individual performances in the Cardinals’ system this season.
Levenson hit three home runs, and one of them was a grand slam. Anytime one swing accounts for four runs batted in, that is not just a home run. That is a game-changing swing. Add two more home runs around it, and suddenly you are not just talking about a big night.
You are talking about a career-type night.
Levenson came into the game with six home runs on the season and left with nine. He drove in six of Springfield’s nine runs and scored four times, reaching base in all four plate appearances.
Three hits.
Three home runs.
Six RBIs.
Four runs scored.
A walk.
There is not much more a hitter can do.
Springfield needed the offense, too. The Cardinals and Naturals were tied 2-2 after five innings before Springfield broke the game open with a five-run sixth. Levenson was right in the middle of the damage, helping turn a tight game into another win for a team that continues to build momentum.
The Cardinals have now won four straight and remain in first place in the Texas League North second-half standings. When a club is trying to protect first place, nights like this matter.
Levenson had help. Rainiel Rodriguez doubled twice. Trey Paige added two hits, a double and an RBI. Jon Jon Gazdar collected two hits, including a double, and drove in a run. But this was Levenson’s day from start to finish.
On the mound, Chen-Wei Lin gave Springfield four innings with six strikeouts, and the bullpen kept Northwest Arkansas from making a serious push. But the headline belonged to the left fielder who kept circling the bases.
Three-home run games are rare. Three-home run games with a grand slam are even louder.
For Levenson, this was the kind of performance that can change the look of a season line quickly. His average climbed to .219, and his OPS moved to .731, but numbers almost feel secondary on a day like this.
The story is the swing.
Actually, the story is three of them.
Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Day:
Zach Levenson, LF, Springfield Cardinals
Final Line: 3-for-3, 3 HR, Grand Slam, 6 RBI, 4 R, BB
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Zach Levenson Springfield Cardinals | MiLB