NEWSLETTER
On Tuesday, the San Diego Padres lost to the Baltimore Orioles by a score of 11-7, but you can’t blame Melvin Upton Jr. for the loss. Before the final out was recorded, Upton had one of the most well-rounded and exciting games a player can have – drawing a walk, hitting a home run, robbing a home run (turning that into a double play), and making a sliding catch in center field.
It may not have been enough for the win, but he sure had himself a night. Check out the home run robbery and ensuing double play:
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That ball was way over the fence, but Upton went over and pulled it back in. And then, perhaps more impressively, he finished the rest of the play. After landing back on Earth, Upton immediately fired the ball back to first – on a pretty nice (91.9 MPH) throw – doubling off Mark Trumbo.
But don’t forget about his home run. Not only was his home run an absolute blast (465 feet), he hit it to almost the exact same part of the stadium. Check it out:
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According to Statcast, that ball traveled 465 feet at 108.8 MPH. It was launched at a 24 degree angle and hung up there for 5.7 seconds. In other words, that was no cheap shot; Upton got all of that one. And don’t forget, Upton also made a pretty fantastic sliding catch on a Hyun-soo Kim line drive in the top of third, completing what was a nice all around baseball game.
Some players focus on offense, others try to sharpen up their glove work, but Melvin Upton Jr. – at least for last night – asked the age old question:
