The Minnesota Twins improved their MLB-best record to 38-18 with a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. Had the Twins lost the game, it would’ve made a “pop-out” from Miguel Sano very frustrating.
Sano hit what appeared to be a home run off the bat, or at the very least a deep flyball down the left field line. He immediately reacted as though he had a potential home run, and Tampa Bay left fielder Brandon Lowe ran towards the left field wall hoping to make a play if it stayed in the yard.
Instead, the ball was caught by Tampa Bay shortstop Willy Adames, and not because Adames has superhuman speed. Adames was able to make the play because the ball hit a speaker at Tropicana Field.
Back to the track, at the wall, and … the shortstop has it? pic.twitter.com/2Mok0DZsJO
— MLB (@MLB) June 1, 2019
Your latest reminder that Tropicana Field should not be a major league stadium.
(UPDATE: Here’s the Twins call, featuring an angry Bert Blyleven suggesting they just blow up the stadium.)
Sano has actually provided a couple more examples in the past too. Like, when his likely home run turned into a double off the catwalk in 2015:
And when he became the first player to ever hit the Tropicana Field roof on this flyball to center field that turned into a pop-out to former Rays third baseman Evan Longoria:
Many people will not remember the the Kingdome in Seattle but google Rob Deer hits kingdome speaker you will see a ball hit about 200 feet in the air down the first base line and hit a speaker. If that ball did not hit the speaker it would have hit the roof in the back of the kingdome that was the hardest hit ball I have ever seen.