Home Run of the Day: Matt Joyce, Tampa Bay Rays (Trot Time: 20.73 seconds) [video]
Detroit’s Max Scherzer and Tampa Bay’s Matt Garza had dueling no-hitters in the sixth-inning of last night’s game. After a couple of walks and a catcher’s interference, however, Scherzer found himself in a bad situation: bases-loaded with two-outs. If he could only retire Matt Joyce, he’d get out of the inning with his no-hitter still intact.
It was not to be. Joyce connected on a 3-2 pitch and sent the ball into the right-field corner. The grand slam broke up the no-hitter and put the Rays on top, 4-0. It was only the second game since 1954 that a no-hitter was broken up in the sixth-inning or later with a grand slam (the last time it happened was on July 23, 1990, when Dickie Thon broke up Frank Viola‘s no-hitter with a one-out, sixth-inning grand slam). It was only the sixth time it happened after the third inning.
Garza would, of course, go on to seal his own no-hitter to give the Rays their first no-hitter in franchise history.
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Slowest Trot: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox #1 – 27.56 seconds [video]
A big night for Big Papi, as he picked up where he left off in Angel Stadium during the Home Run Derby and socked two home runs off of the Angels pitching. Both trots were vintage Papi – accounting for the two slowest trots of the day – but it was his first that took the crown (his second trot was 27.09 seconds). Luke Scott and his 26.09 second trot was the next slowest trot around the league.
I should also take a moment to note Aaron Rowand‘s interesting home run against the Marlins in San Francisco. The play was ruled a home run on the field and a subsequent review upheld the ruling. But if you watch the video, there’s a very real chance that either a) the fan reached over the wall to rob the home run from Emilio Bonifacio or b) the fan got in the way of Bonifacio as he tried to make the catch. Obviously the Marlins announcers were certain it was an out, but I don’t think the video was so cut-and-dry. Regardless, Rowand seemed to never stop running on the basepath (though I can’t say for sure), so I’m keeping his time recorded as 25.32 seconds.
Quickest Trot: Mike Stanton, Florida Marlins – 18.86 seconds [video]
Twenty-five home runs across ten games throughout the league (including six home runs in the Baltimore-Toronto tilt alone), but we have only one sub-twenty second trot (even with yesterday’s quick trot winner, Curtis Granderson, going deep again). Thankfully we have Mike Stanton, the young kid who seems to do nothing but hit home runs and speed around the bases. The next quickest trot was Carl Crawford‘s 20.67 second trip around the bases.
