Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya hit a dramatic game-tying home run with two outs in the ninth inning Tuesday, but here’s how improbable the play was.
Amaya, who was 1-for-4 in the game when he stepped to the plate against Tanner Scott, watched a called strike to start things out.
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WATCH HEREOn the second pitch, Amaya launched a ball to left-center field, and as Tommy Edman zeroed in on the fly ball it landed in the basket on the front of the bleachers, tying the game at 10-10 and sending Wrigley Field into a frenzy.
According to MLB’s Statcast tool, the exit velocity on the home run was 100.5 miles per hour, and the ball traveled an estimated 388 feet.
Those numbers, and the fact the ball landed in the basket, were interesting enough, but the number that really stands out is the number one.
That’s because of all 30 stadiums currently being used in Major League Baseball, there was a grand total of one where the Amaya fly ball would have been a home run, and it just so happened to be the one where he hit it: Wrigley Field.
After the game, Amaya raved about the home run, and admitted that he wasn’t confident the ball was going to get out.
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"As a baseball player, its something you dream of," Amaya told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. "As soon as I hit, I felt it was out but then I saw the center fielder getting into position to catch it. Then it was, 'Oh my god, I have to run,' but it was enough to get out. I love those basket balls."
Naturally the moment would have lost some luster had the Cubs not won the game, but Ian Happ didn’t allow that to happen, following up Porter Hodge’s scoreless 10th inning with an RBI single to win the game in the bottom of the frame.
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