Home Run of the Day: Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves (Trot Time: ?? seconds) [video]
A walk-off home run where the batter spends about two minutes standing at second base while the umpires debate and review his home run isn’t something you see everyday. In fact, it’s not something you’ve ever seen before because it’s never happened before. Instant replay on home runs only came into being last year, and this is the first time they’ve ever been used on a walk-off blast.
I’ve been asked a number of times what McCann’s trot time would be, and whether it’d be the longest walkoff home run trot ever. But, I’ve said this many times before, an interrupted home run trot – whether it be due to instant replay or just a few seconds worth of confusion between the batter and the umps – doesn’t get counted for the Tater Trot Tracker purposes. The goal is to time how long it takes a player to run the bases after hitting a home run – not how long it takes them to run to second, pause for 90 seconds while they catch their breath and chat, and then run around again. That’s not what we’re trying to judge here.
But I know that won’t do for everyone. So, how much time actually elapsed between McCann making contact and then touching home plate? From the time the bat touched the ball to the time his foot touched the plate, McCann’s home run took 2 minutes, 42.37 seconds to complete. (He was at second base in right about 10 seconds).
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Slowest Trot: Ryan Doumit, Pittsburgh Pirates – 25.84 seconds [video]
I know, I know. How can 26-seconds be slower than 3-minutes? Let’s just put it this way: of the measurable, uninterrupted home run trots, Ryan Doumit‘s 25.84-second trot was easily the slowest of the day.
Quickest Trot: Jason Donald, Cleveland Indians – 18.95 seconds [video]
Thirty-two home runs were hit yesterday, and yet only two players managed to run the bases in less than 20-seconds, and they were both in the same game. The second quickest trot belonged to Mitch Maier of the Royals, who ran his out in 19.86 seconds. It wasn’t fast enough to beat Jason Donald, who, earlier in the game, came through with an 18.95 second trot.
