It’s one of the most exciting plays in baseball.
And it was devastating for the Dodgers.
What looked like a bloop hit that landed on the warning track down the left-field line morphed into an inside-the-park home run that left Teoscar Hernandez giving chase as the ball off Jung Hoo Lee’s bat careened away from him in the left-field corner.
The Giants outfielder dove across home plate as the throw from cutoff man Miguel Rojas sailed over catcher Dalton Rushing’s head, completing his 360-foot sprint around the base paths that tied the score at 2 in the fifth inning of the finale of the arch rivals’ four-game series at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night.
JUNG HOO LEE INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN!TIE GAME!pic.twitter.com/Bu2CkdQvVv
Despite Hernandez’s misplay, there was no error assigned on the play, resulting in an official inside-the-park home run — the first-ever by a Giant inside Dodger Stadium and the first by a San Francisco player since Patrick Bailey’s walk-off variety last July against the Phillies.
The Giants caught a break in more ways than one on the play.
Lee fought off a tough 0-2 fastball at the top of the zone from Emmett Sheehan with an inside-out swing that resulted in an exit velocity of only 73.2 mph. It would have been a difficult play to make on the fly, and when the ball bounced on the warning track dirt, it came up inches short of going into the stands, which would have put an end to the play and resulted in a ground-rule double.
Instead, the ball bounced off the wall in foul territory and away from Hernandez toward the Dodgers’ bullpen. Hernandez recovered and made a strong throw to Rojas, but the relay was late and off-line.
Giants third base coach Hector Borg windmilled Lee home. Catcher Eric Haase, who started the play on first base, scored easily. Luis Arráez, who was standing on deck, laid prone on the ground, signaling to Lee to get down. The headfirst dive ended up as an unnecessary flourish, thanks to the throw.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
