Let's go back in time and watch human highlight reel Carlos Gomez rob a ninth-inning home run
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On this date 31 years ago, Carlos Gómez entered the world. We as baseball fans should join together in giving thanks and praise to his parents, the doctor that delivered him and every person that ever encountered the outfielder because Gomez is one of the singularly most exciting players to watch.
Far beyond his power/speed combo -- in 2013-14, he hit 47 home runs and stole 74 bases, which is a kind of baseball palindrome -- everything he does on the field demands a close eye.
Whether he's taking giant hacks, with his helmet soaring away ...
Or hitting a home run in the same at-bat after stumbling to the ground ...
Or giving his bat a few hearty RPMs after drawing a walk, he's a human sparkplug.
However, his greatest highlight may have come when he robbed Joey Votto of a game-winning home run in 2013. Let's set the scene: It's July 8. The Brewers hold a 4-3 lead over the Reds in the top of the ninth inning and Francisco Rodríguez has come on to close out the game.
After Rodriguez retired the first two batters, Cincinnati's Derrick Robinson worked an eight-pitch walk to bring up the dangerous Votto. On a 2-2 pitch, Votto drove the ball deep to center field. Surely that would win the game?
Nope. Because Carlos Gomez was there:
Of course, that wasn't the only home run CarGo stole that year. He took one away from the other CarGo, Carlos González, in April:
Went to right-center to snatch one away from Marlon Byrd just a few days before the Votto robbery:
And took away another potential ninth inning, game-winning home run by a Reds hitter in September:
Not only should you never take your eyes off Gomez, but if you're a batter, you should never hit it in his direction, either.