JD Martinez nearly hit a game-tying home run in Kansas City, but the ball mysteriously dropped instead of clearing the wall. Bottom of the sixth, two on, new pitcher Scott Barlow comes in to protect a 2-0 lead. Martinez gets an off-speed pitch away and drives it deep to right. Off the bat, it looks gone. Instead, the ball hits something and drops straight down. Martinez hustles and ends up with a triple, but he’s clearly confused. So is everyone else.
Both dugouts end up discussing what happened. Martinez is pointing toward the wall, insisting it should be a homer. Teammates join in. They go to replay. The replay shows the ball hitting a seam or cushion crack in the outfield wall padding. Instead of bouncing over for a homer, the padding absorbs the impact and drops it straight down. It’s a rare, fluky moment. The umpires decide it’s not a home run. Play stands. Martinez gets a triple instead of tying the game. The broadcast crew calls it freaky and bizarre. No ghosts involved, but for a second, it sure looked like it.