via MLB.com
- Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings hit a fly ball that ended up being a home run due to a weird error.
- The ball was caught by Royals outfielder Michael A. Taylor, who then dropped it over the fence.
- This would be baseball's version of a lone-goal.
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Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings has an opponent to thank for a home run he hit on Wednesday.
Stallings hit a fly ball initially caught by Kansas City Royals outfielder Michael A. Taylor in the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. But Taylor sprinted so fast to make the catch that momentum carried him into the left-field wall, and the collision caused him to drop the ball over it.
-MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 29, 2021
Royals pitchers Sean Poppen celebrated the catch from the mound. But after Taylor picked himself up and didn't have the ball in his glove, the Pirates dugout began to gesture for Stalling to round the bases, and the umpires agreed.
Stalling's hit wasn't far enough to clear the wall without some basketball-assist-like help from Taylor in Kansas City, but at another stadium, it probably would have reached the seats on its own. Kauffman Stadium is one of the most spacious parks in Major League Baseball, with a larger-than-average outfield.
Before the 2004 season, the outfield fences in the gaps and straight-away center field were moved back 10 feet to their original dimensions of 387 and 410, according to MLB.com.
Stalling's hit was landing just short of the wall, and Taylor's charging catch gave it just enough extra push to make up for the longer field distance.
The solo home run cut the Royals' lead to 6-3, just one at-bat after infielder Erik González hit a two-run shot to get the Pirates on the board. The Pirates even cut the lead to 6-5 after an RBI double by first baseman Todd Frazier in the fifth inning.
But Taylor's lone-goal-like error ultimately didn't cost The Royals much, as they rallied to add three more runs in the sixth and held on to a 9-6 victory.