Dad Strength: Boston Red Sox' Yu Chang Hits Home Run Day After Daughter is Born

A day after missing a game to go on paternity leave for the birth of his daughter, Boston Red Sox infielder Yu Chang hit a home run. It was just the second home run of Chang's season and put the Red Sox up 10-1 on Thursday afternoon. You can see the home run and it's details below.

Talk about that dad strength!

Boston Red Sox shortstop Yu Chang missed Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins because of the birth of his daughter, but he was back in the lineup in a big way on Thursday, hitting his second home run of the season.

Chang hit the home run off Twins reliever Jorge Alcala. The ball left the bat at 109.7 mph and was projected to have traveled 388 feet. Only Camden Yards would have kept this ball in the yard as it would have been a home run in 29/30 ballparks. The home run made the lead 10-1 for the Sox in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Yu Chang vs Jorge Alcala#DirtyWater

Home Run (2) 💣

Exit velo: 109.7 mph
Launch angle: 21 deg
Proj. distance: 388 ft

This would have been a home run in 29/30 MLB ballparks.
Only Oriole Park at Camden Yards would've held this one in.

MIN (1) @ BOS (10)
🔻 5th pic.twitter.com/66KMVSrQjI

— Would it dong? (@would_it_dong) April 20, 2023

You can see the home run here. The ball dented the area above the Green Monster it was hit so hard. It was a 92 mph fastball that he hit.

Yu for 2! pic.twitter.com/pUiSbQTa2T

— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 20, 2023

For his career, he's a .207 hitter with 16 home runs. This year, he's hitting .103. He's playing shortstop more for the Red Sox right now because an injury in the outfield has forced Enrique Hernandez to move from shortstop to centerfield or second base, leaving short for Chang.

Chang's first home run of the season, which came last weekend against the Angels, broke an 0-28 slump.

What's ironic about Chang's struggles this season is that he was so hot during the World Baseball Classic that he was named MVP of Pool A. He played for Chinese Taipei in the classic alongside Cuba, Italy, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Panama.

The 27-year-old Chang is in his fifth year in the major leagues. He's well traveled, too. He spent the first three years of his career with the Cleveland Guardians but played for four teams in 2022: Cleveland, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston.

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