Robbed Home Run turns into go-ahead inside-the-park-homer, a breakdown

Apr 5, 2021 482.8K views 2:22

What Happened

Zach McKinstry steps to the plate in the top of the eighth inning with the game tied at 4-4 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies. McKinstry, a young Dodgers player still seeking his first career home run, digs in against Rockies pitcher Tyler Kinley. Kinley delivers the first pitch and McKinstry watches it sail by for a strike. The count moves to 1-1 as Kinley's next offering misses the zone. On the very next pitch, McKinstry unleashes a towering drive to left field. Rockies outfielder Raimel Tapia races back to the wall and leaps, getting his glove on the ball just as it clears the fence. However, the ball ricochets off Tapia's glove and back onto the field of play. Tapia, thinking the ball has cleared the wall for a home run, remains stationary for a moment. Meanwhile, McKinstry sprints out of the batter's box, realizing the ball is still live. He races around the bases as the stunned Rockies infielders scramble to retrieve the ball. McKinstry completes the unexpected inside-the-park home run, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning. The Dodgers' dugout erupts in celebration as McKinstry, grinning widely, is greeted by his teammates. Rockies manager Bud Black emerges from the dugout to check on Tapia, who appears to have sustained a minor injury on the play. Tapia insists he's fine, disappointed that he couldn't complete the highlight-reel catch. "I just wish I had caught that ball," Tapia says. "It would have been a really cool highlight." With the game-changing play in the books, the Dodgers hold on to their one-run lead and secure the victory, thanks to the unexpected heroics of Zach McKinstry. The young outfielder's first career home run will go down as one of the most unique and exciting moments of the Dodgers' season.

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dodgers are in colorado it's top eighth

the game is tied up at four there's

two outs zach mckinstry his first at bat

of the day came in as a defensive

replacement the inning before