June 21, 2011

Tater Trot Tracker

Trot Times for June 20

by Larry Granillo

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Monday means another start to the week and yet another small batch of home runs. Damn the travel day! This Monday did happen to bring us one remarkable home run, though.

Let's get to the those trots, why don't we.

Home Run of the Day: Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves - 28.99 seconds [video]
There's very little that pleases me more than watching a pitcher hitting a home run. It never gets old. To have that home run also be responsible for the lone runs of a shutout (or near shutout) the pitcher throws is even better. Hudson's seventh-inning blast made the game 2-0 and was all the offense the Braves would need. If that pitcher then happens to treat that home run trot as if it's the single greatest moment of his baseball career, slowly rounding the bases, pumping his fist, waving to his kids - well, that makes it a thousand times better. Thanks, Tim Hudson.

(Remember, follow the Tater Trot Tracker on Twitter to get notes like this quicker. Plus, it never hurts to have more people give me a head's up to trots like this.)

Slowest Trot: Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves - 28.99 seconds [video]
Yep, 28.99 seconds for Hudson. He really did enjoy himself. At 17 seconds, he was barely two steps past second base. I thought for sure he would break that 30-second barrier, but it never happened (meaning David Ortiz is still the only uninjured man to take that long in the last year-and-a-half). Hudson also kept Paul Konerko (who hit a home run in his fourth consecutive game) from topping these charts for a second day in a row with a relatively modest time.

Quickest Trot: Orlando Hudson, San Diego Padres - 19.22 seconds [video]
This sixth-inning blast tied the game up at three. The Padres must have been feeling pretty good about their chances - and then the Red Sox scored 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh. A 19-second trot just doesn't cut it when that happens.

All of Today's Trots

Tim Hudson.......28.99
Paul Konerko.....23.84
Carlos Santana...23.54
Carlos Pena......23.51
Travis Hafner....23.43
Starlin Castro...23.4
Evan Longoria....22.74
Mitch Moreland...21.78
Jason Giambi.....21.66
Juan Uribe.......21.04
Jonathan Lucroy..20.84
Orlando Hudson...19.22