CINCINNATI 鈥� In the midst of a sensational, homer-crashing career resurgence, Joey Votto talked recently about getting his 2,000th hit.
The 37-year-old Reds first baseman recalled how he had the ball from his first major league hit in 2007 but a few years later gave it to his dog Maris to play with. Then he wondered aloud in the interview whether in hindsight that a was good decision because it might not be healthy for dogs to chew on baseballs.
That led him to reassure reporters and dog lovers everywhere not to worry, he'd been a loving owner to the retriever-mix rescue, who has since gone on to doggy heaven.
鈥淚t was chewed up and spit out by him,鈥� Votto said. 鈥淎nd he loved it, by the way."
It was Joey 小蓝视频 Joey.聽
Back to the milestone hit, , the continuation of an impressive Votto outburst since the All-Star Break during which he's hit .320 and led the majors in homers (17) and RBIs (41).
The Toronto native became just the second Canadian to reach 2,000 hits after Hall of Famer Larry Walker.
鈥淚 was really happy with the 2,000th hit, because before the at-bat, I wanted to make sure my uniform looked good, my socks looked good. I made sure that way, if there鈥檚 a highlight, at least I look my best,鈥� Votto said, maybe kidding, maybe not.
His homer total of 28 -- the most since he hit 36 in 2017 -- is even more improbable considering he was sidelined for most of May with a broken thumb.
He returned June 8 to hit .293 for the month, then hit .393 with 11 homers in July. He continues to burnish his Hall of Fame credentials, becoming only the second player in major league history to collect his 2,000th hit, 300th home run and 1,000th RBI in the same season. (Hall of Famer Billy Williams did it with the Cubs in 1971.)
鈥淛oey Votto, every night, he does something cool,鈥� said Reds second baseman Jonathan India, who is making a case for National League Rookie of the Year.
Votto and those around him said they saw the change coming. He started retooling his swing and his approach late last season, standing up straighter in the box, swinging at more pitches, consciously trying to hit the ball out and 小蓝视频 comfortable striking out more. As a result, he鈥檚 hitting the ball harder than ever. And a lot of them are leaving the park like they've been launched from a bazooka.
鈥淚t sounds ridiculous, but I almost feel like I鈥檝e relearned how to hit, and I鈥檝e really, really enjoyed the fruits of that discovery," Votto said.
The 2010 NL MVP, who turns 38 on Sept. 10, insisted he doesn't think about his legacy and will walk away from the game when he's no longer competitive. He's more concerned with earning his huge paycheck and convincing the organization and fans that he's still worth it. The $251.5 million, 12-year deal he signed in 2012 pays him $25 million this season.
鈥淗e鈥檚 completely into what he鈥檚 doing right now,鈥� Reds manager David Bell said. 鈥淗e loves playing the game, he believes in what we鈥檙e doing as a team and he鈥檚 getting to enjoy it with a lot of other players and a team that just enjoys each other. I think that鈥檚 coming out now, but it鈥檚 been happening for a long time.鈥�
Votto said reaching the career milestones and inking his name into the Reds' record books wouldn't be as much fun if the team wasn't contending, which in recent years hasn't been the case this late in the season.
Cincinnati, second in the NL Central, finished a stretch of 20 straight games by sweeping a four-game set from the Miami Marlins. The Reds, who lead San Diego by one game for the second wildcard, open a critical series Tuesday with division leader Milwaukee.聽
鈥淭o feel the momentum towards something we鈥檙e all collectively doing, and then to be a part of that with these individual milestones, is really pretty special," Votto said. "It is way better 小蓝视频 on a winning club.鈥�
-- With files from The Canadian Press.
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Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press
