Hey Tigers! I saw this post from former big leaguer Jermaine Curtis on hitting with 2 strikes. Phenomenal read if you have two minutes to spare.

- - -

When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, we had a team meeting about hitting with two strikes.

Albert Pujols was leading it.

At the time, he was hitting something ridiculous with two strikes.

I want to say it was around .265.

Naturally, everyone wanted to know how.

So somebody asked:

"What's your two-strike approach?"

Albert's answer sur...

Hey Tigers! I saw this post from former big leaguer Jermaine Curtis on hitting with 2 strikes. Phenomenal read if you have two minutes to spare.

- - -

When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, we had a team meeting about hitting with two strikes.

Albert Pujols was leading it.

At the time, he was hitting something ridiculous with two strikes.

I want to say it was around .265.

Naturally, everyone wanted to know how.

So somebody asked:

"What's your two-strike approach?"

Albert's answer surprised me.

He said:

"I think fastball inside and hit it back through the middle."

That was it.

No complicated mechanics.

No secret formula.

Just:

Fastball inside.

Back through the middle.

I remember sitting there thinking:

"Why would you think fastball inside with two strikes?"

So somebody asked him.

And Albert said something I'll never forget.

He said:

"If I can hit a fastball inside back through the middle..."

"I can hit the fastball away."

"I can stay on the changeup."

"I can stay on the slider."

"I can stay on the curveball."

Then he paused.

And said:

"The ball gets deeper."

That's when it clicked for me.

He wasn't trying to pull the inside fastball.

He was using one thought to cover everything.

The more I thought about it...

The more it made sense.

So I started trying it.

And it changed the way I thought about hitting with two strikes.

Instead of worrying about every pitch...

I focused on one.

Fastball inside.

Back through the middle.

See it DEEP.

If you're struggling with two strikes, here's what I'd do tonight:

Round 1: Short Box

(Set the distance somewhere between front toss and batting practice.)

Have a coach throw only fastballs inside.

Your only thought:

"Fastball inside."

Drive the ball back through the middle.

10 swings.

Round 2: Mix Speeds

Now the coach mixes:

- Fastballs
- Changeups
- Breaking balls
- Sliders

But your thought never changes.

You're still looking:

"Fastball inside."

10 swings.

Round 3: Two-Strike BP

Every pitch starts 0-2.

Compete.

Battle.

Use the same approach.

"Fastball inside."

Back through the middle.

10 swings.

That's it.

30 focused swings.

One thought.

One approach.

One goal.

Drive the baseball back through the middle.

One thing I've learned:

Most hitters get worse with two strikes because they add thoughts.

Albert got better because he removed them.

With two strikes, simplicity is a weapon.

Thank you for reading,
Jermaine Curtis

2026 15U Benzinger just made their stats public on Diamond Load. Check out their batting, pitching, and fielding numbers.

Go to https://www.rawlingstigers.com/team-tryout.php?state=missouri&city=saint-louis&id=2463 to register.

Orange 🍊

Love the 🍊

Good weekend for the boys

Highlights and Stats from the 2026 Harvey HS Varsity Baseball Season

12U Amato just made their stats public on Diamond Load. Check out their batting, pitching, and fielding numbers.

10U Amato just made their stats public on Diamond Load. Check out their batting, pitching, and fielding numbers.

Single 1

Single 1

Another caught stealing. This one at PBR KC a few weeks ago.

Caught the called 3rd strike then snapped the ball to 3rd and caught the runner sleeping to end the inning!

Turned a wild pitch into a game ending caught stealing to win the game.

Great throw home by my CF after he caught the fly ball. Darn near got the triple play at 1B, too.

Sophomore season 2026

May 30/31 2026 tournament Cincinnati, OH

Single into the 5-6 hole

Double into left center