Hanley Ramirez swings out of batting helmet, homers over Green Monster
Not since Bartolo Colon snapped his 10-season RBI drought with a lost helmet single back on April … have we seen such a mighty swing in a Major League Baseball game.
Well, actually, “mighty swing” might be overstating that one a bit. But it might be an understatement when describing the home run launched by Boston Red Sox slugger Hanley Ramirez on Wednesday night.
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With David Ortiz on first and one out in the third inning, Ramirez put everything he had into a knuckleball delivery from Toronto Blue Jays right-hander RA Dickey. The swing resulted in Ramirez losing his helmet, and the ball soaring like a missile over the famed Green Monster at Fenway Park for a two-run home run.
Shield your eyes if you’re Blue Jays fan. Otherwise, watch and admire.
The helmet is vital protection for batter, as we were reminded once again on Wednesday night in Cleveland. However, there’s very little need for it once the ball leaves the stadium. With that in mind, Hanley proceeded to casually jog 360 feet around the bases without it, rather than retrieve it once it was lost.
That’s not a scene you see very often, so maybe we should just hashtag it #HanleybeingHanley.
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It’s say to safe Hanley is paying off Boston from an offensive standpoint. With this home run, he became the first player to reach double digits in MLB this season. Nelson Cruz of the Seattle Mariners would join him a short time later.
The Red Sox went to win Wednesday’s game 4-1 to take from the Blue Jays. They’re now one game behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East and will host those same Yankees for three games this weekend.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
