It was a big day yesterday, as American Pharaoh earned horse racing’s Triple Crown for the first time in 37 years with his victory at the Belmont Stakes. Not to be outdone, the stars of MLB’s Triple Crown debate over the last few years – Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout – both went yard as well.
With trots clocking in at 27.16 and 21.07 seconds respectively, Cabrera and Trout were no match for the speed and grace of American Pharaoh at Belmont. But it’s hardly a fair comparison, with the two sluggers sprinting through 360 feet of basepath while the champion thoroughbred faced 1.5 miles of race track. If we put them on an even playing field, what would the comparison look like?
Sadly, I don’t expect to see American Pharaoh zipping around a big league stadium any time soon. It’s just not practical. Luckily for us, there is a proxy we can use! Video evidence from the 1960s tells us exactly how fast a horse can run around the bases. It all took place at Dodger Stadium, when Hall of Famers Leo Durocher and Sandy Koufax met a horse named Mr. Ed.
Now, Mr. Ed wasn’t a race horse like American Pharaoh, so we can expect that the Triple Crown winner might be a little faster around the bases. Still, it gives us a jumping off point. So exactly how fast did Mr. Ed take to circle the bases? According to the video evidence we have, the famous horse came home in 24.78 seconds. That’s faster that Cabrera, but slower than Trout. Sounds about right to me.
Now let’s get to the trots!
Home Run of the Day: Christian Bethancourt, Atlanta Braves – 18.41* seconds [video]
Walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth. His first career home run. Not too shabby of a night for Bethancourt.
Slowest Trot: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers – 27.16 seconds [video]
Really, Miggy, there’s no shame in being slower than a horse.
Quickest Trot: Christian Bethancourt, Atlanta Braves – 18.41* seconds [video]
Oh, and Bethancourt gave us the quickest trot of the night!
All of Today's Trots Miguel Cabrera.........27.16 Manny Machado..........21.38 Hanley Ramirez.........25.6 Mark Canha.............21.07 Welington Castillo.....24.1 Mike Trout.............21.07 Wilson Ramos...........23.79 Ryan Braun.............20.95 Matt Kemp..............23.65 Wilin Rosario #1.......20.91 Carlos Gonzalez........23.45 Yonder Alonso..........20.48 Brian McCann...........22.73 Zack Cozart............20.4 Salvador Perez.........22.37* Wilin Rosario #2.......19.86 Chris Johnson..........22.22 Andrew McCutchen.......19.68 Brian Dozier...........21.69 Juan Lagares...........18.63 Bryce Harper...........21.58 Austin Jackson.........18.45 Andres Blanco..........21.58* Christian Bethancourt..18.41* Jonathan Villar........21.5 Jeff Francoeur.........N/A
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