Ryan Braun "broke out" Tuesday afternoon in Philadelphia with a three-homer performance in a Milwaukee Brewers victory, his first long balls of 2014 and his first since May 22, 2013.
Factoring in injury and suspension, it was a 25-game drought.
If it seems like a long time, it is – but not for Braun.
In 2010, he went 22 games without a home run. In fact, Braun typically goes long stretches without going deep.
Here are Braun’s longest homerless streaks:
2007: 10 games
2008: 18, 10, 15, 13, 10
2009: 17, 19, 10, 14
2010: 14, 15, 11, 11, 22
2011: 13, 16, 11, 11
2012: 10, 11
2013: 11, 10, 20
And those are just the double-digit periods. In his career, he has gone at least five consecutive games without a home run 58 times.
In 950 career games, Braun has gone without a home run 529 times.
With the three dingers Tuesday, don’t be surprised if Braun hits two to three more in the next week, either. This is what he does.
He typically catches fire in pockets of games anywhere from four to eight times in a season.
2007: 34 homers in 61 total games.
2008: 31 in 47
2009: 24 in 42
2010: 14 in 30
2011: 25 in 49
2012: 34 in 63
2013: 6 in 11
Of his 214 career home runs, 168 have come in just 303 games.
What does it all mean?
It means he’s the epitome of a "streak" power hitter, and he’s been that way since Day 1 in the major leagues back in 2007.
So, enjoy the ride for the next week, and wait patiently for the next wave to roll in.
Jim Owczarski is an award-winning sports journalist and comes to Milwaukee by way of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Network.
A three-year Wisconsin resident who has considered Milwaukee a second home for the better part of seven years, he brings to the market experience covering nearly all major and college sports.
To this point in his career, he has been awarded six national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for investigative reporting, feature writing, breaking news and projects. He is also a four-time nominee for the prestigious Peter J. Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism, presented by the Chicago Headline Club, and is a two-time winner for Best Sports Story. He has also won numerous other Illinois Press Association, Illinois Associated Press and Northern Illinois Newspaper Association awards.
Jim's career started in earnest as a North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) senior in 2002 when he received a Richter Fellowship to cover the Chicago White Sox in spring training. He was hired by the Naperville Sun in 2003 and moved on to the Aurora Beacon News in 2007 before joining OnMilwaukee.com.
In that time, he has covered the events, news and personalities that make up the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, NCAA football, baseball and men's and women's basketball as well as boxing, mixed martial arts and various U.S. Olympic teams.
Golf aficionados who venture into Illinois have also read Jim in GOLF Chicago Magazine as well as the Chicago District Golfer and Illinois Golfer magazines.
