You’d probably be floored to learn Javy Báez does not like taking pitches in a 3-0 count with his bat on his shoulder.

No, he wants to swing — and swing hard.

He hammered a 3-0 pitch into the center field bleachers at Great American Ballpark Tuesday night to give the Cubs an important insurance run in an 8-5 victory.

It was his first career homer on a 3-0 pitch:

Prior to that HR, @javy23baez was 1-for-8 in 3-0 counts with 36 walks in his career. #Cubs

— Andy Martínez (@amartinez_11) July 29, 2020

The free-swinging superstar shortstop was hitting only .176 with a .498 OPS entering play Tuesday before putting up a monster game in Cincinnati.

Báez homered twice, doubled, pulled off yet another fantastic slide and was his usual slick self in the field, making plays from the outfield grass to help the Cubs jump out to a 4-1 start on the young season.

“When Javy plays well, it’s infectious for the team,” David Ross said. “Javy’s such a good player. You know at some point all these guys are gonna get rolling and find their stroke and Javy had a really nice game tonight.”

What’s even more impressive is how Báez has been successful with 2 strikes on him this season.

His second homer Tuesday night came on a full count and marked his 4th hit of the year in 2-strike counts. He also notched an RBI double on a 2-2 count Monday night and beat the shift twice on Saturday to collect a pair of 2-strike, opposite-field singles against the Brewers.

It’s more proof of how Báez’s game has continued to develop as he’s matured as a hitter. He still has 5 strikeouts in 2020 and is prone to huge swings and misses, but he’s also worked to become a downright dangerous hitter with 2 strikes.

Last year, Báez hit .225 and notched 34 extra-base hits — including 12 homers — in 2-strike counts.

For comparison, Báez hit only .142 with 6 homers and 16 extra-base hits in similar situations during the 2018 season.

“Javy’s game has continued to evolve,” Ross said. “On top of being one of the more exciting players in the game with the power, being able to do that with 2 strikes — willingly beat the shift, get on base for the guys behind him — that’s kind of the mantra and Javy’s bought into that.

“I want Javy to be himself. He’s got so many great aspects to his game and so many different tools to pull from. When he’s comfortable in the box, he’s one of the best players in the game.”

Even when Báez hasn’t gotten a hit with 2 strikes, he’s still been able to make things happen.

Two separate times in the first four games, he put the ball in play on 2 strikes and reached on errors. He didn’t come around to score either time, but given what we’ve seen from him on the basepaths throughout his career, the more Báez is on base, the better for the Cubs.

“It’s incredible,” David Bote said. “His first at-bat [Anthony Rizzo] is always like, ‘do that thing that the fans love.’ That’s what it is you just love watching him play. He plays the game in such different ways in his head and he plans things out ahead of time and then makes it look easy on the field.

“His anticipation is off the charts and he remembers things — he remembers history, he remembers at-bats off of guys that he knows, ‘I’m gonna do this and do this and do this and I’m gonna do it with this.’ He plays the game differently and it’s fun to watch.”