Oakland Athletics outfielder Cristian Pache is one of MLB’s fastest runners.
As he came through the minor leagues with the Atlanta Braves, he showcased that speed to steal lots of bases and turn several singles into doubles, and doubles into triples.
He was part of the return package Oakland received for star first baseman Matt Olson, and as a result, the rebuilding A’s will likely give him all the playing time he can handle.
On Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays, he hit a home run, but it wasn’t a product of his modest power: it occurred because of his speed.
In the top of the second inning, with men at first and second, Pache hit a hard grounder to the space between shortstop and second base, and it passed through for what it looked like a base hit.
A Single Or A Homer?
The left fielder, however, had issues successfully catching the ball (due to the playing surface, too, which made the hit travel faster) and it bounced off his body.
That changed the trajectory of the ball to center field, but the center fielder was also about to field the ball in left-center, so there was no one to catch the ball in time to prevent the speedy Pache to get what is commonly called as a “little league home run.”
LITTLE LEAGUE HOME RUN FOR CRISTIAN PACHE 💨 pic.twitter.com/lRHapl2JJN
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 14, 2022
In reality, the play wasn’t ruled as a home run: it was a single, then the runners advanced on a Randy Arozarena, the left fielder, fielding error.
It was a cool, thrilling play for the A’s, but they should enjoy it: there probably won’t be many exciting plays or wins on their horizon this year.
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