Home Run of the Day: Carlos Lee, Houston Astros (Trot Time: 26.35 seconds) [video]
Carlos Lee is due to make $18.5 million each year for the next two-and-a-half years. In the meantime, he has started the season batting .213/.248/.361. He does have seven home runs, though. And after the one he hit last night, a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth to give the Astros a walkoff 6-4 victory, that terrible start to the season will be forgotten – at least for a couple of days.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this trot. It’s neither fast nor slow (for Carlos Lee, at least), and the “I don’t want to break my leg so don’t everyone jump on me”-gesture is a nice genuine moment.
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Slowest Trot: Jose Lopez, Seattle Mariners – 26.47 seconds [video]
Marco Scutaro may just have the longest home run trot of the day at about 26.5 seconds, but, with the confusion on the basepaths caused by where the ball hit, Scutaro stopped at second-base for a good five seconds while waiting for a call from the umpires. The time may be measurable, but I’m not counting it as an official time. It wasn’t a true trot. The call would later go on to be confirmed by replay. Lopez’s shot was a bomb to left, but it probably wasn’t as deserving of the slow walk that Lopez gave it.
Quickest Trot: Bill Hall, Boston Red Sox – 19.93 seconds [video]
What’s more surprising, that Bill Hall hit a ninth-inning home run to bring the Red Sox to within one run, that Bill Hall ran it out in 19.93 seconds, or that a 19.93 second trot was the fastest of the day? (Only two other days this year have had a slower “quickest time”.)
