Boy oh boy, it was an awesome night for home runs yesterday. Not only did we have huge ninth-inning home runs from Alex Rodriguez and Marcus Thames in the Yankees game and Aramis Ramirez in the Cubs game, but we also saw some bombs by David Ortiz and Adam Rosales, the two most extreme trotters in the game. Quite the night.
Home Run of the Day: Marcus Thames, New York Yankees (Trot Time: 21.37 seconds) [video]
Now, I’m the last person to unnecessarily glamorize a Red Sox-Yankees matchup. With the way the game ended last night, though, I have no choice. It was something else. First, there was the bomb that A-Rod hit off of Jonathan Papelbon to tie the game up in the bottom of the ninth. That was followed up, of course, by the laser off the bat of Marcus Thames that ended the game. You’ll never see me happy for a Yankees win, but that won’t stop me from admitting to a pretty exciting ending.
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Slowest Trot: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox – 29.81 seconds [video]
Before Papelbon lost it in the ninth last night, I was certain this was going to be the home run of the day. As absolutely certain that I am that it will be Papi to be the first player to break the 30-second trot barrier this year, I’m still amazed every time he gives us one of these 29-second trots. I guess I expect a 27-seconder every now and then. I might have to put those expectations away soon.
Quickest Trot: Adam Rosales, Oakland Athletics – 17.74 seconds [video]
And on the opposite end of the spectrum we have Oakland’s Adam Rosales, who always seems like he wants to get home as soon as possible. His first two home runs of the year were solo shots and saw him circle the bases in less than 16 seconds. Last night, though, he had Jack Cust on first base when the ball left the yard. Jack Cust is not a fast man. Rosales ran the bases at his usual clip, but had to slow down after rounding third because Cust hadn’t yet made it to the plate. In the end, Rosales had his slowest trot of the year – “barely” 17.74 seconds. The nice thing is he finally has enough home runs to qualify for the leaderboard. Rosales’ average trot speed is 16.48 seconds, nearly 2 whole seconds faster than the next qualifed player (Scott Rolen, 18.23 seconds). I love it.
