By Trevor:
Some people say that a triple is the most exciting play in baseball…HA NO! The most exciting play in baseball is the Walk-Off Home Run!
Now before you start to argue me on this point, let me point out some information. When guys hit a triple, do their teammates run out and meet them at 3rd and shower them with Gatorade or water? Do they pound his head until he can only hear ringing in his ears?
The obvious answer to these questions is no! The only play where that happens is when a dude hits a walk off bomb!
Over a month ago, the Texas Rangers finished a sweep of the LA Angels of Anaheim. Each of the 3 games ended with a walk off homerun by the Rangers. In the last game of the series, Adrian Beltre sent a ball out to left in a hurry and all his teammates were waiting for him at home.
It is easy to forget during a walk-off celebration that these guys are full grown (some of them in their late 30s) men! They instantly become 6 year old boys when a teammate hits a walk-off home run.
Multiple teams do different things when they win on a walk-off. Martin Prado of the Arizona Diamondbacks is known for picking up dirt from home plate and shoving it down his teammate’s jersey. The Tampa Bay Rays are known for pulling off both the player’s pants and shirt. The Dodgers, even just a couple days ago, ripped Adrian Gonzalez’s jersey until it tore at the seams.
Another thing about walk-offs, they don’t just happen at home plate. Even with a walk-off single or double, the whole team goes out onto the field and tackles their teammate. They jab, hit, pull, push, tackle, and throw their teammate around in celebration. The walk-off is the most exciting play in baseball. It’s one of the only times you’ll see grown men act like little boys.
I got to experience two walk-offs that really stick out to me to this day. I actually was the one who hit the first one. It was all the way back in 7th grade. We were playing in the championship game of a Babe Ruth baseball tournament in The Dalles. The bases were loaded, and we were down by two. I was up and I was facing a good friend of mine on the mound.
It was like a movie, I worked the count to a full count. The next pitch was a curve ball up and a little in. I remember I hit it on a line 10 feet over the left fielder’s head. I’m rounding first and heading towards second and I see my teammate rounding third for the winning run! It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my entire baseball career. All of my teammates came out to second base and tackled me. I probably still have bruises from it.
The other one I experience was when I was in college ball at Corban. Jonathan Ramirez was up and we were tied. I remember we all were joking in the dugout that he would hit a walk-off and we could go home. Honest to God, the next pitch was sent 50 feet over the left field wall. He did it! He crushed it! I remember we all jumped over the railings and ran out to home plate to party. When he got to home plate, we couldn’t control ourselves. We were jumping up and down yelling and screaming. There really isn’t anything like that experience.
I truthfully believe that the walk-off hit is one of the most exciting things in all of sports, and it is definitely the most exciting play in Baseball!
Sorry to disagree with you. The walk off home run is not the only play when the teammates come out and pound him. Every walk off from singles to bases jammed walks the teammates run out onto the field (after the winning run crosses the plate) and jumps the hitter. It is even more impressive that a walk off homer because the whole team is chasing the hitter around the field trying to catch him in order to pound him. Besides you are talking about the excitement after the play is over. The triple is the most exciting to watch from the time the ball is struck until the hitter slides into third base. Rounding first, headed for second, is he going to settle for two, rounding second, outfielder retrieves ball, is there going to be a play at third, running busting it to third, throw coming on line (THINK CLEMENTE OR ICHIRO ARM), slide, cloud of dust, tag, UMP (HOPE HE GETS IT RIGHT FOR A CHANGE). Safe. WOW. And Triples don’t happen every day.
Spot on. The walk-off has so much on the line…THE GAME! Two outs, runner on second, tie game, bottom ninth. So much is on the line for the pitcher, hitter, and both teams. No doubt, the walk-off is the most exciting play in Baseball.