September is tantalizingly close and the playoff races are getting that much more interesting. It's all very exciting – especially if you root for a team that still has a chance! *grumble*grumble*
Well, I suppose we can all just root for the Pirates anyway! Let's get to the trots.
Home Run of the Day: Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates #2 – 23.66 seconds [video]
The Pirates and Cardinals are battling it out for second-place in the National League Central and a spot in the Wild Card. In the second game of their series this week (St. Louis won the first game), Pittsburgh third baseman Pedro Alvarez did unthinkable things to a baseball not once but twice. The first home run sailed over the 410-foot sign in left-centerfield, the deepest part of the ballpark. For his second home run, Alvarez didn't bother with distinctions like that, instead blasting a ball almost to straight-away centerfield – and out of the stadium. We've seen balls fly out of PNC Park before, but I'm not sure I've ever seen one leave via the centerfield seats. It's a fantastic thing to watch. The ESPN Home Run Tracker calls it a 456-foot blast.
Slowest Trot: Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers – 24.82 seconds [video]
There were 26 home runs hit around the league on Tuesday night and this sub-25 second trot was the slowest. It's fitting, at least, in that Peralta certainly felt like he was going much slower than this while watching his trot.
Dustin Ackley wasn't all that slow on his trot, but his time does not count. During his trot, Ackely stopped at second base, unsure of if the ball had cleared the fence or not. It definitely did, but the pause in the trot makes his time invalid.
Quickest Trot: Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers – 18.7 seconds [video]
Kinsler's home run accounted for the only run in Texas' 1-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays. Kinsler's trot time is a bit difficult to say for certain since neither television feed actually showed him stepping on the plate. His eyes give a good hint of when he passed the plate, but it still leaves a little room for error. For this reason, Milwaukee shortstop Jeff Bianchi's first career home run, a three-run blast that provided the Brewers all the offense they needed, might actually be the quickest. Bianchi touched home plate 18.76 seconds after his bat hit the ball.
All of Today's Trots Jhonny Peralta........24.82 Justin Ruggiano.......21.24 Ryan Howard...........24.5 Pedro Alvarez #1......21.07 Albert Pujols.........24.19 Jarrod Saltalamacchia.21 Hanley Ramirez........24.16 Mike Baxter...........20.96 Pedro Alvarez #2......23.66 Mike Trout............20.66 Wilin Rosario.........23.12 Brandon Moss..........20.43* Dan Uggla.............22.59 Chase Utley...........20.32 Fernando Martinez.....22.42 Lew Ford..............19.76 Adeiny Hechavarria....22.26 Angel Pagan...........19.49 Chris Carter..........22.12 Adam Jones............19.46 Kelly Shoppach........21.66 Jeff Bianchi..........18.76 Delmon Young..........21.4 Ian Kinsler...........18.7* Travis Wood...........21.38 Dustin Ackley.........n/a
Click here for the ongoing 2012 Tater Trot Tracker Leaderboard. You can also follow @TaterTrotTrkr on Twitter for more up-to-the-minute trot times.
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