The inside-the-park home run might be the most exciting play in baseball, but the Little League home run is easily the funniest.
And sometimes — well, at least this one time — they can be full of mystery.
During an Advanced-A minor league game between the Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers affiliate) and the Jupiter Hammerheads (Miami Marlins affiliate), a bunt from Lakeland right fielder Reece Hampton somehow turned into a Little League home run.
I say “somehow” because the team provided a video of the play that gave zero insight as to what unfolded in right field to make the Little League dinger possible. We just saw Hampton running the bases and diving into home. What happened in right field was left for the imagination.
Sure, the catcher made an awful throw, but just from watching that, it would be hard to imagine that error resulting in anything more than an advance to third base. I mean, what in the world was the right fielder doing here?
A game story recap of the play claimed that the ball took an usual bounce off the wall.
In the second inning, right fielder Reece Hampton’s bunt single turned into quite the surprise. Hampton’s bunt was fielded by Jupiter catcher BJ Lopez, who then threw the ball down the right-field line.
The ball reached the right-field wall, glanced off a portion of the wall past right fielder JJ Bleday. Hampton then rounded third and slid home safely, for the infield single and three-base error, providing Lakeland an early 1-0 lead.
I don’t know — I think we’re going to need more than that.
(Thanks to Deadspin for sharing)
