I didn’t believe it when I read it for the first time, but the video confirms it’s true: Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton did indeed score from second base on a passed ball on Tuesday afternoon against the Cubs.
In the top of the first inning facing John Lackey, Hamilton worked a one-out walk, then stole second base with Joey Votto batting. Votto then worked a walk, bringing up Jay Bruce. Lackey’s first pitch to Bruce was a curve on the outer portion of the plate, and catcher David Ross just couldn’t come up with it. The ball skipped through his legs towards the brick wall. Ross was lackadaisical in retrieving the ball, assuming Hamilton taking third base was guaranteed and that’s where he’d stop. But Lackey didn’t cover home, so Hamilton kept going. He slid headfirst and touched home plate just as Lackey got there.
[mlbvideo id="897288283" width="600" height="336" /]
According to MLB.com’s Daren Willman, Hamilton reached a top speed of 22.8 MPH. Ridiculous speed.
I do wonder if we’ll get any indignant columns about Ross and Lackey’s lack of hustle.