September 28, 2011

Tater Trot Tracker

Trot Times for September 27

by Larry Granillo

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Tuesday was the second-to-last day of the season and, not only were we overflowing with things to talk about around the league (Rays/Sox, Cards/Braves, etc.), we were also overflowing with things to talk about here at the Tater Trot Tracker. Of course, 44 home runs in one night will do that, game #16 or game #161.

Let's get to those trots!

Home Run of the Day: Ryan Roberts, Arizona Diamondbacks - 23.92 seconds [video]
Maybe I should go with a home run from a team actually fighting for their playoff lives here, but I can't get past what happened in Phoenix Tuesday night. While the Brewers were busy beating the Pirates behind three(!) home runs from Prince Fielder and one very, very massive home run from Rickie Weeks (see here), the D-Backs were playing a tough one against the Dodgers. Tied at one, the game went into extra innings, where the Dodgers promptly scored five runs in the tenth. The first two batters for the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the inning were retired easily. Game over, right? Not if you're the Dodgers. A couple of hits, a walk or two, a fielding mistake by the pitcher, an error by the third baseman and, finally, a grand slam by Ryan Roberts gave Arizona the walkoff victory with two outs in the tenth.

Roberts made a big production of his trot, mimicking manager Kirk Gibson's most famous home run as he circled the bases (and then ripping off his shirt as he jumped into his teammates). The victory kept the D-Backs hopes alive for the number two seed in the National League.

Other home runs of note on Tuesday included the first two home runs of Ryan Lavarnway's career in Boston's much-needed win over the Rays, a splash hit by Brandon Belt, and a walkoff home run for Florida's Bryan Petersen (only the second home run of his career).

Slowest Trot: Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers - 26.01 seconds [video]
I linked Rickie's blast above, but it really does need to be seen. The home run, the second of a back-to-back after Fielder's earlier shot, was crushed to left field. It didn't seem to want to come down, but eventually hit high on the glass of the Miller Park NYCE Club in the stadium's third level. The Brewers estimated the blast at 470 feet, but Hit Tracker Online calls it 443 feet. Whatever the case, it needs to be seen.

Especially for this:

Image courtesy of @CrashburnAlley

Quickest Trot: Conor Gillaspie, San Francisco Giants - 17.41 seconds [video]
This may be the most generous "inside-the-park home run" call of all time. The ball bounced off the wall in AT&T Park's centerfield and ricocheted at a weird angle. As Ty Wigginton meandered towards it, Gillaspie rounded the bases. Wigginton's throw then missed the cut-off man, allowing Gillaspie to try for home. He may have made it there without having to slide if he didn't first have to pick himself up from the ground after tripping at third. But he did get up and his slide was good enough to score the run, extending the Giants' lead.

The "home run" also happened to be the first of Gillaspie's big league career.

All of Today's Trots

Rickie Weeks.......26.1    Adrian Beltre......22.1
Ryan Lavarnway #2..25.57   Joey Votto.........22.07
Allen Craig........25.46   Martin Prado.......21.92
Jimmy Rollins......24.89   Russell Martin.....21.64
Nelson Cruz........24.41   Prince Fielder #3..21.59
Mike Napoli #2.....24.24   Tyler Flowers......21.55
Wilson Betemit.....24.03   Jay Bruce..........21.47
Ryan Roberts.......23.92   Michael Morse......21.39
Aramis Ramirez.....23.87   Marco Scutaro......21.38
Josh Willingham....23.82   Chris Parmelee.....21.04
Brandon Belt.......23.58   Scott Sizemore.....20.83
Ian Kinsler........23.43   Hunter Pence.......20.71
Ryan Lavarnway #1..23.32   Ben Zobrist........20.61
Alfonso Soriano....23.2    Nick Punto.........20.17
Mike Napoli #1.....23.18   Adam Jones.........19.99
Prince Fielder #2..22.79   Jose Reyes #2......19.91
Delmon Young.......22.78   Chase Utley........19.87
Prince Fielder #1..22.64   Mike McCoy.........19.75
Miguel Cabrera.....22.35   Matt Joyce.........19.72
Rene Tosoni........22.17   Jacoby Ellsbury....19.57
Matt Wieters.......22.15   Bryan Petersen.....18.77
Jose Reyes #1......22.11   Conor Gillaspie....17.41