Everybody loves a home run. Whether it's a second-deck moonshot, a will-it-or-won't-it wall-scraper or a frenetic inside-the-park job, we tend to get excited when a player connects and touches 'em all.
But sometimes, a home run is merely the outcome of an odd moment or an unusual series of events, the runs produced essentially taking a back seat to the quirkiness of the circumstances.
That'll be the focus here as we look at some of the quirkier home runs in MLB history (for which video exists). In other words, these homers have more personality than the average round-tripper.
Juan Soto homers before his MLB debut (May 10/June 18, 2018)
When Soto clubbed his first MLB home run on June 18, 2018, the ball was hit so hard that it actually traveled back in time and landed on May 10 -- seriously! OK, fine. It landed in the May 10 box score.
That's because the Yankees-Nats game on June 18 was a continuation of a suspended game from May 10 -- more than a week before Soto's MLB debut -- so all stats from the resumed game on June 18 counted as stats that happened on May 10, even if they didn't. So, that's technically the date of Soto's first homer. Though just a technicality, it's nonetheless an unusual occurrence and worthy of inclusion on this list.
José Ramírez homers after big assist from Mikie Mahtook (Sept. 3, 2017)
This might be the only over-the-fence homer in history to feature multiple bounces. Here's the deal: Ramírez lines a laser to left that bounces high off the top of the wall, then bounces off the top of the wall again, then caroms slightly toward the field, where Tigers outfielder Mahtook tries to grab it before it can take another bounce and maybe go over the fence for a homer.
But Mahtook's attempted grab was just a little off and, instead of keeping the ball in the yard, he knocks it over the wall for a dinger -- despite one last-ditch flail of an attempt to grab it with his hand. Poor Mahtook. He was just trying to make a dang play. Instead, he looks more like a basketball player trying to tap a teammate's missed shot into the basket.
Bartolo Colon does 'the impossible' (May 7, 2016)
Colon was already a baseball folk hero by the time he stepped to the plate against James Shields and the Padres, but the beloved portly pitcher was a career .089 hitter coming into the at-bat. His plate appearances often made for entertainment, but certainly not intimidation.
Still, a Colon homer had long been on the wishlists of fans and teammates, even if it seemed more fantasy than potential reality. So when Colon shockingly sent a 1-1 Shields fastball over the left-field wall at San Diego's Petco Park for a two run homer -- the first and only dinger of his career -- the astonishment was palpable.
"Bartolo has done it! The impossible has happened!" Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen exclaimed.
Colon's teammates, just as shocked as everyone else, gave the moment the gravitas it deserved by clearing the dugout for some classic silent-treatment hazing before eventually mobbing their new slugger.
"This is one of the great moments in the history of baseball," Cohen said.
Michael Morse's single becomes grand slam, with a second 'swing' (Sept. 29, 2012)
There's a lot to unpack here. The short version: With the bases loaded, Morse smashes a drive the other way that appears to hit the top of the right-field wall and bound back onto the field. A run scores, there's a traffic jam on the bases and Morse gets tagged out trying to race back to first base. Washington challenges, saying the ball cleared the fence and bounced off the back wall. The call is overturned on review, giving Morse a grand slam. But that's not nearly all.
Morse, who had started to round the bases after the replay ruling, is told to go back to first. So, he runs the bases in reverse, making sure to touch second on his way back to first. After stopping on first, he's told to go back to home plate and start his run over again. Seeing an opportunity for a further chuckle in this already nutty situation, Morse gets in the batter's box (without his bat), mimes a new swing and begins a second home run trot, to the enjoyment of all.
Todd Frazier 'throws' his bat at the ball and goes deep (May 27, 2012)
Every now and then, something happens in baseball that seems to defy the laws of physics. One of those times happened when Frazier crushed a homer for the Reds with his hands almost completely off the bat.
Frazier, seemingly fooled by a pitch from the Rockies' 49-year-old ageless wonder Jamie Moyer, is out in front with his swing and just kind of throws the bat at the ball. In most cases, such a "swing" would result in a weak blooper that might find the outfield for a hit. But the contact with Frazier's bat sent the ball deep into the left-field seats at Great American Ball Park. It's a rough moment for Moyer, who has to watch a dinger he's just given up AND worry about getting hit by a flying bat.
Miguel Olivo gets a homer with assist from Ryan Raburn's glove (April 26, 2011)
This one had the makings of a great defensive play before things went completely in the opposite direction.
Olivo hits a laser to left that sends Raburn scampering back toward the fence. Just as he reaches the warning track, he leaps and nearly makes an incredible catch -- except the ball hits his glove and then launches over the fence for a homer.
To make matters worse for Raburn, not only does his effort result in a run for the Mariners, but he takes a header at full speed onto the warning track and nearly smashes into the fence.
Adam Jones hits inside-the-parker after Nyjer Morgan's angry assumption (May 22, 2010)
File this one under, "You Know What Happens When You Assume."
Jones smashes a drive that sends Morgan toward the center-field wall. When the Washington outfielder leaps to attempt a catch, the ball hits off his glove and falls to the ground.
But Morgan seems to think he's knocked the ball over the wall for a homer, and he angrily throws his glove to the ground and stomps off. The extra few seconds that elapse before left fielder Josh Willingham is able to reach the ball allow Jones to circle the bases and score just ahead of the relay throw.
Prince Fielder's Metrodome-assisted inside-the-park homer (June 17, 2007)
Fielder was not an obvious candidate for an inside-the-park round-tripper. The stocky slugger hit plenty of homers, but they usually went well over the wall. But the old Metrodome in Minnesota had a habit of turning routine fly balls into extra-base hits, and that's exactly what happens here.
Fielder hits a high fly ball to medium-deep left-center field, where Twins outfielder Lew Ford glides in to catch it. But Ford loses the ball in the Metrodome's white Teflon ceiling and it drops "way, way, way away from him," as the late, great Bob Uecker says on the call. That allows Fielder to speed around the bases and score standing up.
Oddly enough, Fielder had a SECOND stand-up inside-the-park homer nearly one year to the day later, but it wasn't quite as quirky because it involved a fielder who gave up on a play because he was confused about ground rules.
Charles Thomas homers thanks to Jason Michaels' glove flip (Sept. 9, 2004)
There have been many outfielder-assisted home runs through the years, but this one, like Ramírez's listed above, stands apart because of the elaborate nature of the assist. Not to mention that the outfielder is not even at the warning track when his glove first touches the ball.
Thomas hits a drive into the right-center gap, where Phillies outfielder Michaels gives chase before reaching up to make an acrobatic grab about a step shy of the track. The ball hits Michaels' glove, then drops toward the ground, causing Michaels to attempt a nearly behind-the-back grab to preserve the out. But the looping motion of his arm creates a sling effect, flipping the ball upward -- and outward, as in out of the park.
Carlos Martinez homers off Jose Canseco's head (May 26, 1993)
This one had to be included, right? You've seen it so many times, but here's a brief recap: Martinez hits an opposite-field drive to right, where Canseco gives chase, then reaches up to grab the ball as he approaches the wall at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
But Canseco apparently misjudges, well, something and the ball ends up bouncing off his noggin and over the wall. Canseco at first seems confused how this could happen, while everyone else -- even teammate David Hulse -- has a good laugh. Eventually, even Canseco, though perhaps a bit embarrassed, appreciates the humor of the moment.
Cal Ripken Jr. homers when Brad Komminsk goes over the wall (Sept. 5, 1989)
Ripken hit 431 homers in his Hall of Fame career, but he almost had one fewer. Fortunately for him, Komminsk couldn't overcome the science of momentum.
In this beauty, Ripken drives the ball deep to left center, with the Cleveland outfielder charging toward the wall to make a play. Komminsk uses that momentum to leap up the wall in an attempt to rob Ripken of a homer. He actually catches the ball, but that previously helpful momentum takes him over the wall and he loses the ball at some point on the way down, giving Ripken a dinger.
Jack Howell's broken-bat homer shocks Vin Scully (Sept. 5, 1987)
We've seen a fair number of broken-hat homers in the past 25 years or so, but Howell's blast is notable because it was in all likelihood one of the first. Maybe even the first. How do we know? It left the great Scully in shock.
Howell's homer off the Yankees' Tim Stoddard easily clears the right-field wall at old Yankee Stadium, despite that his bat shatters on contact, leaving him with only the handle in his hands.
"That's the first broken-bat home run I've ever seen -- ever!" Scully exclaims on NBC's "Game of the Week."
Think about that: Scully and broadcast partner Joe Garagiola had each watched decades' worth of games at that point. They'd seen and heard a lot. Not much on a baseball field would surprise them. Yet neither could believe that they'd just seen a broken-bat homer. The concept itself seems to leave them stupefied, making Howell's feat -- at least in 1987 -- something truly special.
Kelly Gruber's 'walk-off' inside-the-fog homer (June 12, 1986)
This four-bagger has a strong case for the quirkiest homer of all time, as there are several things to consider.
Gruber comes to bat with two on base in the seventh of a game between the Tigers and Blue Jays at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium, a little while after heavy fog rolls into the stadium and envelops the outfield. Gruber hits a routine fly ball to center field, but the Detroit outfielders lose it almost immediately, allowing the ball to bounce on the artificial turf and roll toward the wall.
The madness allows Gruber to easily circle the bases for a three-run inside-the-park homer that gives the Jays a 9-0 lead. Play is then halted, and after a 35-minute delay, umpires call the game -- meaning Gruber technically hit a walk-off inside-the-park homer in a 9-0 win.
Rick Camp's 18th-inning homer ties 'wackiest, wildest game' (July 4, 1985)
This is another one that's required on any list like this. Like the Canseco head comedy, this is one baseball fans have enjoyed for decades. So, here's a brief prelude/recap: Mets-Braves. July 4. Wild game. Lots of rain. Some delays. Back and forth. A protest. Extra innings. A cycle and, of course, Camp's memorable homer in the 18th inning.
That a pitcher hit this game-tying homer is just part of what makes it fun. It's made even more quirky/hilarious because Camp had a career average of .060 in 189 plate appearances before the at-bat against Mets reliever Tom Gorman. Which is why the Mets waved their outfielders in as Camp stepped to the plate, assuming any contact would produce a low liner or shallow fly ball at best. More fun: It was an 0-2 pitch. Even more fun: It was a hanger.
Still more fun: The reactions of Mets third baseman Ray Knight (arms in air in disbelief) and left fielder Danny Heep (hands on head in exasperation) speak to the pure insanity. Meanwhile, Braves broadcaster John Sterling, who moments earlier joked that a Camp homer would certify the game as "absolutely the nuttiest in the history of baseball," is left completely aghast.