Andrew Benintendi homered off relief pitcher Justin Verlander and the players went wild
With one out in the bottom of the fifth of Monday's ALDS Game 4 presented by Doosan, an unexpected player came running out from the bullpen: Justin Verlander.
That's right, Verlander -- who has 385 regular-season starts to his name with nary a relief appearance -- was being called from the 'pen to try and hold the Astros' 2-1 lead.
With a runner on first,
Verlander couldn't believe it. He followed House of Pain's advice and jumped around in desperate hope that the ball would stay in play.
The fans were also jumping, but, you know, for a different reason:
Benintendi watched it go and then opted not for the giant bat flip, but for a stylish end-over-ender:
And
Verlander settled down after that, lasting 2 2/3 innings and not surrendering any more runs. That allowed the Astros to come back from Benintendi's dinger to clinch the series with a 5-4 final score.