The All-Star Break is upon us. The vast majority of the sport’s players will get a much needed vacation. All the while, the season’s best will travel to Cincinnati with home field advantage in the World Series for their respective leagues hanging in the balance. But as always, Top of the Heap isn’t all about superstars. It is about the best that the game had to offer from the previous week. That excellence can come from a variety of different sources. This past seven days fit that mold quite well. Without further ado, here are the top five plays that defined the week that was in baseball.
5. Kirk Nieuwenhuis Makes Met History
It has been a long season for Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis. He had been designated for assignment twice, once by his current team the Mets and once by the Angels. He was hitting .106 coming into Sunday’s game against Arizona and hadn’t hit a home run since September 3rd of last year. That perspective on Nieuwenhuis’ career makes what he did Sunday that much more surprising. His first at-bat against Rubby De La Rosa in the second inning ended with an opposite field solo home run after a crew chief review. An inning later Kirk would take the Arizona right hander deep to center field for a two run shot. He faced a new pitcher to start off the fifth inning, Randall Delgado, but the results were the same as he deposited the ball of the right field foul pole for his third home run in three at-bats. Though his quest to become the 17th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game ended with a strikeout against Andrew Chafin, Nieuwenhuis made Mets history. He became the first Met to hit three home runs in a home game in the history of the franchise. You can probably win a bet or two with that trivia nugget in a few years.
4. Dueling Inside The Park Home Runs
The inside the park home run is a rare occurrence. They seem to be happening more and more frequently though as we head to the Mid-Summer Classic. Sometimes it is just speed that allows a inside the parker to happen, but more often than not it takes a backfiring risk on the part of an outfielder to make this bit of magic happen. After Dee Gordon’s effort a week ago, the Rays and Royals decided to have themselves a game of “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.” In the top of the fourth inning, Logan Forsythe hit a ball off Jeremy Guthrie that headed towards the gap and looked a surefire double. The play took a turn for the worse on Kansas City’s behalf as their All-Star, Gold Glove left fielder Alex Gordon came up lame on the play with a severe groin strain. Forsythe slowed as he rounded second seeing that the unflappable Gordon was down. He eventually picked the pace back up and rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run, his ninth homer of the season to tie the game at two. Gordon would be carted off but he would be avenged by his replacement, speed merchant Jarrod Dyson. Dyson stole 36 bases in 290 plate appearances last year so we know he’s quick. So when his inside out shot got past David DeJesus in right, you knew that he was going for an inside-the-park job. He did just that flying around the bases for a two run homer. The Royals would win the game, even though they lost a star, and Dyson and Forsythe became the first dueling inside-the-park home run hitters since Tony Womack and Sammy Sosa back in 1997.
3. But Wait, There’s More Jarrod Dyson
Dyson showed off his bat and his legs in last Wednesday’s game. A day later he would show off his glove, arm, and baseball IQ against the Rays. In the top of the first inning, Grady Sizemore hit a ball toward the left center field gap off Yordano Ventura. Normally the ball would be almost a guarantee to be caught with Gold Glover Alex Gordon in left field. As you saw from the previous play though, Gordon was injured the night before and replaced by Jarrod Dyson. Let’s just say Dyson did his best Gordon impersonation on the ball hit by Sizemore. He tracked back to the fence and made a fine over the shoulder catch before slamming on the brakes to prevent slamming full speed into the wall. The play didn’t stop there though. Dyson whirled around and saw that John Jaso had strayed to second base thinking the ball had no chance of being caught. Dyson fired in a strike to relay man Alcides Escobar who doubled off Jaso at first. The Royals would go on to win the game and complete a sweep of the Rays. They’ll miss Alex Gordon, but if Jarrod Dyson continues making Top of the Heap caliber plays, it won’t nearly be as much.
2. New Hunter Pence Sign: “Hunter Pence Turns Sick Double Plays”
Hunter Pence has battled injuries this season. With his kamikaze playing style following two consecutive 162 games played campaigns, it was bound to happen. It doesn’t mean that when Pence is on the field though his play has diminished at all. Take for instance last Tuesday’s game against the Mets. The Giants were up 3-0 on New York in the sixth inning, two of those runs being produced by Mr. Pence. However, Matt Cain started off the inning shakily allowing a triple to center field to Curtis Granderson. Hunter had his starter’s back on the next play though. Ruben Tejada lifted a fly ball into foul territory down the right field line. Fresh off the DL, Pence didn’t hesitate as he raced towards the chalk line to make a sliding catch. The Grandy Man must have thought the ball was hit deep enough and that Pence’s awkward landing may make him hesitant to unleash a throw home. As you can guess, he thought wrong. Pence popped up out of the slide and made a pinpoint throw to Andrew Susac at home to double up Granderson. Even the most staunch of Hunter Pence trolls had to give at least a golf clap on this play.
1. Justin Upton Commits Home Run Robbery
The Padres are still in limbo as to whether they will be buyers or sellers come the end of the month’s trading deadline. Their offseason trading spree has left them in this position as they sit ten games out of the division and seven and a half games out of the second Wild Card spot. They may be in the lower half of the standings but Justin Upton’s play from last Tuesday was anything but. The Padres were up 2-1 in the fifth inning. Reliever Marcos Mateo was on to pitch for the Pads as a near two hour rain delay forced them to use two pitchers over the first four innings. Mateo gave up a leadoff single to Neil Walker bringing Andrew McCutchen to the plate. McCutchen watched two horrible balls go by him before sending a 2-0 meatball deep to right field. You could tell from his initial reaction off the bat that Cutch thought this ball was long gone. Justin Upton didn’t share that point of view. Upton got back to the wall and perfectly timed his jump to catch the ball that was descending over the fence. McCutchen was stunned by the proceedings and Upton got a tipped cap from his teammates in the dugout. However, the Pirates would get the last laugh. Jung Ho Kang would triple home the tying run in the next at-bat and Pittsburgh would triple home the winning run in the eighth inning. It was another crushing loss for a team with high expectations. Sadly for Padres fans, the only place their team are top these days is here on Top of the Heap.