It's home, sweet home, for Granderson
Curtis Granderson wasted no time entertaining his family and friends Monday at U.S. Cellular Field.
Granderson, a Blue Island native now living in Lynwood, hit lefty Mark Buehrle's first pitch into the right-field seats, giving his Detroit Tigers a 1-0 lead on the way to their 9-6 victory over the White Sox.
It was his fourth leadoff home run of the season and 10th of his barely two-year major-league career.
He followed that with an RBI single in the third inning to tie the game at 2-2, then hit a bases-loaded, ground-rule double in the fourth to give him 4 RBI in the game. His 3 hits raised his average to .303.
Granderson was batting just .158 against left-handers before Monday, but his desire to avoid being platooned has improved his approach against them.
"He has a chance to be a real good one," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "This kid is growing up fast."
Granderson was passed over by his own manager, Jim Leyland, for the All-Star Game in San Francisco, even though he received the most write-in votes.
Most observers thought he deserved to go, but he claimed to be fine with the decision.
"I got to go home and see my family and friends,'' said Granderson, who attended Thornton Fractional South High School and the University of Illinois-Chicago. "Not making the all-star team is not the end of the world, by any means.
"You are rewarding half a season. To some extent that is a great honor, but the awards that come at the end of the season are a lot better. If I end up in one of those categories at the end, it will be a lot bigger accomplishment."
Granderson, 26, ranks in the top five in the American League in multi-hit games with 37, ranks fifth in runs scored with 71, ranks third in total bases, has 27 doubles, leads the league with 16 triples and has a top-10 slugging percentage of .560. His triples are the most for a Detroit Tiger since 1940.
Granderson was the Tigers' full-time center fielder last year as the club surprised the White Sox and everyone else to make the World Series. He batted .260 during the season (and led all outfielders with a .997 fielding percentage), hit .294 in the division series against the New York Yankees and batted .333 in the American League championship series against Oakland.
His World Series was disappointing, with only 2 hits in 21 at-bats, but he and the Tigers definitely were on the upswing.
After last weekend, Granderson ranked second in the league in extra-base hits with 56, trailing Alex Rodriguez's 59. Teammate Magglio Ordonez is third with 43.
"There is a long way to go, and the hitters that are surrounding me are going to make a push," Granderson told the Detroit Free Press.
"He is already a good player, and he is still learning," Detroit catcher Ivan Rodriguez said. "When you have a leadoff guy who is in scoring position all the time, it's nice to have. He's going to be one of the best hitters in baseball."
There certainly was enough evidence Monday at The Cell.