Kris Bryant turns a double into wacky Little League home run (Video)
Kris Bryant still hasn’t hit his first MLB home run yet, but the Chicago Cubs phenom got himself a Little League-style “homer” Monday night. We didn’t get to see Bryant’s home-run trot, but what happened in the seventh inning of the Cubs’ game with the Pittsburgh Pirates was a lot more exciting anyway.
Who needs a home-run trot when you can watch frantic base-running?
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It started with Bryant launching a deep fly ball to centerfield off Pittsburgh reliever Arquimedes Caminero. Off the bat, it looked like we might be seeing Bryant’s first dinger, but the ball hit the bottom of the wall. It looked like Bryant would be stopping at second base with a two-run double, but then the Pirates’ defense happened.
Bryant ran to third when the Pirates threw to the plate, trying to mow down Anthony Rizzo. When catcher Francisco Cervelli couldn’t handle the throw, Bryant took a wide turn toward home. But the Pirates grabbed the ball and fired it back to third. It looked like a rundown, but Cervelli couldn’t handle the throw at the plate (again!) and Bryant scored. Just like how 12-year-old hits “home runs” in Little League.
While this is the most exciting piece of video in Bryant’s young career, it wasn’t his only highlight Monday night. He had three hits and three total RBIs. After his disappointing debut, Bryant has rebounded to post a .429 average with a .579 on-base percentage.
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Bryant now has four RBIs in four games, which means he’s driven in as many runs this season as David Ortiz, Victor Martinez, Robinson Cano, Pablo Sandoval and Yasiel Puig. Not bad, kid.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
