Minor league team suffers brutal loss when player who hit go-ahead home run doesn't touch home plate
The Delmarva Shorebirds, the Baltimore Orioles, single-A minor league team, lost in brutal fashion when they were denied the go-ahead runs on a ninth inning home run.
Down 3-4 to the Augusta Greenjackets, the San Francisco Giants' minor league team, in the top of the ninth, Shorebirds outfielder Elier Leyva hit a two-run home run to put the Shorebirds up one.
However, upon rounding the bases and trotting to home plate, Levya skipped right over home plate, never actually touching it and scoring the run.
The Greenjackets reportedly saw that he didn't touch the plate. They then appealed to the umpires and had the home run overturned. Levya was called out, and the game, tied at 4-4, went to extra innings after a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
In extras, the Greenjackets hit a walk-off single to win 5-4.
Greenjackets manager Nestor Rojas said after the game, "I've been around baseball a long time and I've never seen anything like that."
Rojas continued, saying, "Their manager [Ryan Minor] came out and talked to the umpire, but I don't think he was really mad about it because he knew it. He thought the umpire was right."
The umpires didn't give Levya the benefit of the doubt. On the video, it seems Levya intended to drag his foot across home plate, and he probably didn't even realize he didn't touch the plate. It's the small details that can come back to haunt you.
Story originally seen on Deadspin.