They say you can’t teach speed, and Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. showed Monday night exactly the type of game-changing speed they’re talking about.
Batting with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Witt lined a ball to right-center field that looked like it would hang up long enough for right fielder Dominic Canzone to catch. Canzone, though, appeared to lose sight of the ball in the lights, allowing it to get by him and roll all the way to the wall. By the time the ball got back to the infield, it was too late.
🚨Bobby Witt Jr. INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/oxPOnmvNhr
— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2023
Witt bolted around the bases in just 14.3 seconds, good for the fourth-fastest time on an inside-the-park home run in the Statcast era (since 2015), per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
Of course, that play was just part of Witt’s personal speed derby on Monday, as he also tallied a pair of infield singles. He became the first player since 2004 to have two infield hits and an inside-the-park home run in the same game, according to ESPN Stats & Info, joining Juan Pierre.
Witt has followed up his strong rookie season with a bigger breakout this year, with 22 homers, 34 stolen bases and a league-best seven triples so far. Those numbers show that he’s far from a one-trick pony, but performances like Monday’s serve as yet another reminder that his speed remains among the game’s elite.
