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New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson learned a hard lesson during Tuesday night’s American League Division Series opener against the Cleveland Guardians: A home run isn’t a home run until it gets over the wall.
This may sound obvious, but check this out:
In the fifth inning and with the score, Donaldson sliced a pitch into right field from Guardian right-hander Cal Quantrill. He then took on the leisurely pace of a batsman who believes the ball he is batting is headed for the seats. Donaldson even gave first base coach Travis Chapman a high-five as he walked past the bag.
There was only one problem. Donaldson’s ball didn’t sail into the stands. Instead, he’d hit the closest thing that can be described as Schrodinger’s home run: a ball that bounced off the top of the wall and deflected almost straight to Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez. Gonzalez turned and hit shortstop Amed Rosario. Rosario then pitched behind Donaldson to first base where Josh Naylor tagged and Donaldson was shut out. Replay even confirmed this.
Donaldson’s non-home run was odd for a number of reasons, including the improbability of the ball hitting the wall at the exact spot and spin that would cause it to rebound back to Gonzalez instead of the stands. It was also about no fan touching the ball. You see a gentleman trying to catch it but coming back empty handed – just like Donaldson.
The Yankees took the lead later in the inning and won 4-1, but give credit to Gonzalez and Rosario’s heads-up play and strong, accurate throws, and blame Donaldson for taking his home run for granted.