Saturday, May 25, 2013

SF Giants' Angel Pagan, Walk-off Inside-the-Park Home Run


in photo left to right: Marco Scutaro, Angel Pagan and Andres Torres
image source: Jeff Chiu, AP

In baseball, scoring a walk-off run is always exciting. For those not familiar with the term "walk-off" run, it means the home team scores the winning run in the bottom inning to end the game before finishing the inning. The home team can "walk off" the field immediately afterward.*

A lot rarer and perhaps more exciting is an inside-the-park home run. It is usually a hit well placed beyond reach of the outfielders. By the time the ball is retrieved and thrown back to the infield, the batter has touched all bases and made it to home plate to score.

For the first time since Rey Sanchez of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays did it in 2004, my beloved San Francisco Giants accomplish both feats this afternoon. It comes from leadoff hitter Angel Pagan.

With the Giants down 5-4 to the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the 10th inning (Giants were down 4-0 in the 4th inning, Giants tie game 4-4 in the 7th, Rockies take lead 5-4 in 9th), Pagan hits a deep driving shot to right center field that bounces off the outfield wall. The rest is history.

A heart-pounding finish I'll never forget.

Here's the video (web only):



*information source - Wikipedia

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