Just two days after a historic MLB Home Run Derby in Cincinnati, the Double-A All-Star game followed up with one of the coolest endings to a baseball game you’ll ever see.
The Eastern and Western divisions were tied 4-4 after nine innings in the Eastern League All-Star game at Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine, home of the Portland Sea Dogs.
But rather than go all Bud Selig on everyone and end the game in a tie, the two squads decided on a different way to settle things: a home run derby shootout.
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Each manager picked three players to represent his club, with each player getting one swing to try to hit one out.
Unfortunately, neither side could produce a homer, but that only made things more exciting, as the teams entered sudden death. Finally, after 12 minutes and 11 rounds, Reading Fightin Phils outfielder Brian Pointer blasted one over the fence to give the East the unique win.
“That was just pretty awesome,” Pointer said, via MiLB.com. “Just to see it go out, ending this whole thing with a little bit of a saga at the end, I’m pretty much speechless right now. I’m just happy that we won it and happy to walk it off.”
According to MiLB.com, the idea started with the players, some of whom had competed in a pregame home run derby.
“Somebody mentioned it in the eighth inning,” Fightin Phils first baseman Brock Stassi said. “I said I want redemption for the goose egg I put up. I was pumped that (manager) Billy (McMillon) put me back out there to try and end it.”
Whatever the reason, we’re glad this awesome event happened, and hopefully MLBÂ adopts some similarly creative ideas going forward.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@VAVEL_USA
