Twins rookie sensation Miguel Sano banged what looked like a massive home run against Tampa Bay on Thursday night, a ball that appeared to be headed way, way beyond the wall in left-center field ...
... until it crashed into a catwalk that encircles the field.
"I didn't think a human being could hit a baseball that far!" announcer Dick Bremer exclaimed.
Here's what it looked like:
Sano didn't score after Trevor Plouffe flied out to end the fourth inning and the Twins ended up losing by one run, 5-4, to the Rays to end a six-game winning streak.
Tropicana Park ground rules state that a ball that hits the stadium's middle catwalk are in play, the assumption being that most balls hit that high aren't going to go as far as Sano's was headed -- well over 400 feet, according to people who watch more Tampa Bay games than we do.
"I'm sure that over time they have concluded that the ground rules that are in place are best suited for the facility they have," manager Paul Molitor told La Velle E. Neal III after the game.
And Twins fans who are steaming at the injustice should probably keep in mind these three words: "Remember the Metrodome." More than once, the Twins were aided by the quirks of their former indoor home.
Here's a bit more from La Velle on that issue.
So enjoy the majesty of what should have been and try to decide how far that ball would have gone if it had been hit at Target Field. Nordeast, maybe?
