The 5 slowest HR trots on record
Since Statcast began tracking in 2015
Sometimes, the satisfaction with hitting a home run comes with marveling in the moment.
"As a human, when you hit a ball that far, it's hard not to stop and watch where it lands," outfielder Carlos Gonzalez once said.
Hitting homers isn't easy, which is why it's probably no coincidence that pitchers seemingly have the slowest home-run trots -- they don't necessarily know when, or if, they'll get their next chance.
And with Statacst, we can tangibly quantify just how long those trots take. Below are the five longest, or slowest, since the tracking technology came online in 2015. For context, only undisputed homers are included, which rules out any that may have been lengthened by replay review or other outlying reasons.
1. Rhys Hoskins: 34.2 seconds -- 4/24/19, PHI @ NYM
One night after he dodged two Jacob Rhame pitches near his head, Hoskins uncorked a 342-foot moonshot that narrowly eclipsed the left-field wall and hooked foul pole during the ninth inning of a 6-0 win over the Mets. Hoskins then proceeded to take a New York City-esque stroll around the Citi Field diamond, and everyone who watched knew why.
“Look, if a ball goes over your head the night before, the best way to … get back at the pitcher is by putting the ball in the seats,” Phils manager Gabe Kapler said. “It was worthy of him having that moment, taking it all in, soaking it all in. He deserved that. He earned it.”
2. Victor Martinez: 34.1 seconds -- 9/22/16, DET @ MIN
For all of the slow-trotting counterparts of his era -- David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez and former teammate Miguel Cabrera come to mind -- none tallied a slower time than Martinez, who is featured here twice. V-Mart's slowest trot, which was the Statcast record before Hoskins', came via a ninth-inning bomb that he dug out in a 3-0 count off reliever Michael Tonkin, who had just entered the game. Martinez stalled coming out of the box, it appeared, to see how far the concourse-bound ball would travel.
3. Victor Martinez: 33.9 seconds -- 5/6/15, DET @ CWS
Martinez's second-longest trot may have had a little more intention behind it. The homer came against then-White Sox ace Chris Sale, who incited a benches-clearing brawl after plunking Martinez during Sale's final start of 2014 the previous September at Comerica Park. Sale then held the upper hand after, getting Martinez to 0-for-3 in their first meeting of '15, but Martinez evened up with an impressive strike to left, and in an 0-2 count, to boot.
4. Nelson Cruz: 33.4 seconds – 7/7/17, OAK @ SEA
Cruz has hit more homers than anyone since Statcast began tracking, so it makes some sense that his name would surface here. And it also makes sense why he took so long on this particular round-tripper -- it was the 300th of his career, and he was taking in the moment.
5. Miguel Montero: 33.2 seconds -- 9/16/16, CHC vs. MIL
Montero's jack incited a party. Granted, his homer was of the walk-off variety and the Cubs had just won their first division title in nearly a decade. Leading off the bottom of the 10th, the veteran catcher chipped an opposite-field shot to left that crept over the Wrigley Field ivy. Montero's trot is the only slight caveat on this list -- his shimmy at the end towards the plate, where all of his teammates awaited, stalled his trot some.