During a game at the Oakland Coliseum, fans got an unexpected little league home run. With Trevor Bauer pitching and the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth, the batter smashed a 1-1 pitch to center. He thought it was gone and slowed to a trot. But the ball hit the auxiliary scoreboard and stayed in play. The left fielder misplayed the bounce, and the batter kicked into gear, turning what looked like a routine hit into a wild dash around the bases.
The chaos continued as the fielders scrambled and no one seemed in position to make a play. Bauer ended up covering third. The catcher had to chase down the ball while a bat boy got out of the way. The runner kept going and slid home headfirst to give his team the lead. He capped it off with a celebration that included a couple of “let’s go” screams and a not-so-subtle crotch grab.
The replay showed the whole sequence clearly. A trot turned into a sprint, then a smooth pop-up slide, then an aggressive push to home. It was messy all around on defense, but the batter stayed alert and ran hard. The fans loved it, and the celebration made it clear he did too.