A short day for baseball – there were only nine games played on Monday – means a short day for home runs. And, while that was mostly true yesterday, you'd have a hard time believing it from the Blue Jays-Rangers game in Texas, where five home runs were hit (including three in one half-inning). Chris Coghlan and Ryan Ludwick could probably learn the lesson too, since they each sent two balls out.
Not that I'm complaining! Let's get to the trots!
Home Run of the Day: Ryan Ludwick #2, San Diego Padres – 23.51 seconds [video]
A walkoff home run that also happens to be your second shot of the day? I'm not sure you could do much more to ensure your spot as Home Run of the Day. I suppose if it also happened to be the day you hit your first career home run, that would do it.
Chicago's Darwin Barney may not have hit a second, walkoff home run on Monday, but he did hit his first career home run in the first inning. It was a nice, quick trot (18.81 seconds), but it would have been even quicker if the Cubs' dugout was on the first base side of Wrigley Field. Alas.
Slowest Trot: Juan Rivera, Toronto Blue Jays – 26.21 seconds [video]
The third and final home run the Blue Jays smacked against the Rangers in the fifth inning of Monday's game. I must have forgotten that Rivera was part of the Vernon Wells trade over the winter. I didn't believe it was actually Juan until I realized just how slow he was circling the bases. That's exactly the type of trot I expect from 2010's second-slowest trotter.
Quickest Trot: Ryan Ludwick #1, San Diego Padres – 18.54 seconds [video]
Ludwick is a terrific example of how a walkoff home run slows a runner down (not that there's anything wrong with that!). His first home run of the night was also the quickest trot of the night, beating out Barney and Jason Heyward (18.97 seconds), but only two trots were slower than his walkoff. Much of that is the slow-down-and-jump celebration at the end of the trot, but players tend to take it easier at the start of the trot too. I don't blame them, of course. They did just win the ballgame with one swing of a bat, after all.
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