These were the 7 strangest scenes from Sunday's 17-inning Dodgers-Padres marathon
There's no better time to take in a ballgame than a Sunday afternoon. The sun is out, the birds are chirping and the specter of Monday's commute still seems so far away. So when the Dodgers and Padres teamed up for a 17-inning marathon on Sunday afternoon, which LA eventually won 9-5, it was a treat for everyone watching. Unless you had to pick up your brother-in-law at the airport, in which case this was probably your reaction:
But if the average baseball game has 3.7 bizarre things per game (actual stat), a 17-inning game will have exponentially more wacky things happen. (Note: It's not officially #weirdbaseball as that requires it to be past midnight local time, as per the term's creator Kevin Goldstein.)
In case you weren't around to watch the Majors' longest-game by innings this year, and you've already familiarized yourself with 17 important facts from the game, we've helpfully rounded up some of the oddities you may have missed.
The Padres did most of their damage on the triple. Which you won't hear very often. Wil Myers cleared the bases with his wind-aided pop fly that went only 224.2 feet according to Statcast™.
And in the eighth inning, Melvin Upton hit a game-tying triple. So if you missed out on running a bunch of errands or cleaning the house because you were watching eight extra innings, well, you can blame Upton.
Bunts are usually not the best idea when you're trying to win a game. After all, trading an out for a base tends to limit how much you'll score. But in a game like this, all you need is one run to win. Enter: The Bunt.
In the top of the ninth inning and with Yasiel Puig on second base, A.J. Ellis laid down a sacrifice bunt. Only problem: Puig was Elsa, in that he was Frozen and failed to advance.
In the top of the 16th, Puig tried to shock the world by hitting a leadoff bunt single. Another problem then popped up ... in that he popped it straight up.
Puig would make up for it, though. The next inning he hit the game-winner.
The game nearly didn't make it to 17 innings, though. With runners on the corners in the top of the 15th, Joc Pederson popped the ball up on the infield. Easy play for Yangervis Solarte, right?
Eh, not so much.
Sure, you may expect to tune in to a game this long and find your favorite utility infielder toeing the rubber and living out their childhood dreams. Not so on Sunday. In exchange, you got to see pitchers hitting. J.P. Howell made his first plate appearance since 2013 and struck out swinging in the top of the 13th. Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw came in as a pinch-hitter in the 15th. He showed bunt before pulling the classic butcher boy.
Of course, just because no position players took the mound, it doesn't mean that players weren't dreaming of playing different positions. Long before extra innings entered anyone's mind, Fernando Rodney donned some catcher's gear in the dugout, perhaps believing it possible for him to both pitch and catch at the same time.
And in the top of the 17th, Kiké Hernandez put on the tools of ignorance. Unfortunately for him, the Dodgers would win that inning and he didn't get a chance to spell A.J. Ellis behind the dish.
Petco Park is not like Kauffman Stadium as it doesn't have a fountain.
For a brief moment in the 17th inning, the ballpark seemed to forget. Either that or the automatically timed sprinklers, which were naturally set for a reasonable time that the game would usually be over, went off.
What's the only scientifically accepted way to bring your team luck? Dressing up in things you can find in the dugout. ? Dressing up in with things you can find in the dugout.
Alex Wood showed off the hottest looks that will surely be seen on the runways of Milan soon:
And soon showed off his summer wardrobe:
Even the Padres broadcast team tried to bring the game to an end, putting on eyeblack. Of course, with the sun about to go down, Mark Grant was worried that they'd need to find a new method.
Apparently those tactics worked as the game did end. Some believe that without rally gear, this game would still be going on.