14 outfielders who tried to rob a home run and deeply regretted it
A robbed home run is one of the most exciting plays in baseball. It requires an awesome combination of outfielder positioning, timing and leaping ability, and it comes with "will it or won't it?" excitement in your chest as you watch the ball fly toward the wall.
But, sometimes, the best-laid plans fall apart, and the leaping outfielder actually gifts the opposition a home run. You can't fault them, but you also can't help but giggle. These are the funniest ways outfielders have "assisted" the ball over the wall.
The Head
The gold standard of home run gifts. There will never be a more perfectly hilarious play in baseball history. On May 26, 1993, Cleveland's
The Lost Glove
It's tough to tell what exactly transpired here when the Orioles'
The Alley Oop
Forget what you know about the game of baseball and watch this:
It looks like
The Inside the Park
OK, this is an odd one. Royals outfielder
The above and Beyond
Usually, the ball goes over the fence, and the player stays in the field of play. Cleveland outfielder Brad Komminsk has his own way of doing things. He nearly managed to rob Cal Ripken Jr. of a home run -- that's something worth telling your future grandchildren about -- but instead took part in something even bigger: A once-in-a-lifetime home run robbery that wasn't.
The Non-Home Run Robbery Attempt
If you've ever played a single minute of pickup softball, Little League Baseball or even just a quick game of 500, you know how impossible it is to judge a fly ball. Now, add in the enhanced difficulty of a Major League fly ball -- surely hit harder and faster than anything you've ever witnessed -- and try to judge it.
That means you end up like
Of course, considering it was Home Run Derby participant
The Man Who Can't Do Everything
The Pitcher Who Rakes (with a little help)
This one from April 30, 2013, is perhaps my favorite. Not only do we have a pitcher in Tim Hudson bashing one to the wall, but we have
The Sprawling Fall
Most of these are slight embarrassments -- good efforts turned bad. But for
The Home Run Hitter's Gift
The Double-Check
Torii Hunter was very good at the home run robbery. He even pulled it off against Barry Bonds in the 2002 All-Star Game and got to be carried like a heavy sack of laundry for his efforts. But in 2010, against all-time great Brewer Casey McGehee, he was powerless. Just watch as the ball popped out of his glove and slowly rolled over the wall.
The Boop
Playing for the D-backs on June 28, 2010,
The Glove Slap, Baby, Glove Slap
Coors Field, with its mile-high altitude, gives a little extra boost to the baseballs. On April 10 earlier this year, the Padres'
The Walk-Off
Just a warning: This is a rough one to watch. In the bottom of the 11th inning between Auburn and Florida, Auburn's Steven Williams raced back, ready to make the play on Austin Langworthy's drive. Instead, the game was over. There is no bigger home run assist than this one.
ICYMI. Florida's Austin Langworthy hits it deep to right field, where Auburn's Steven Williams misplays the catch, and the ball goes over the fence.
— ESPN Player (@espnplayer) June 12, 2018
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