With two outs in the top of the ninth and the Rockies trailing the Giants 4-3, Colorado’s Brandon Barnes hit a two-run inside-the-park home run to give the Rockies the lead, and ultimately a thrilling 5-4 victory on Saturday at AT&T Park.
Like so many inside-the-park home runs, the play involved some questionable defense to allow it to happen. It looked like a normal single to right-center field for Barnes off the bat, but San Francisco center fielder Angel Pagan took an aggressive angle on the ball instead of just playing it safe. The way Pagan played the ball was even more curious given that the tying run was at first base, and that runner wouldn’t score on a single. Instead, the ball got past Pagan and two runs scored, including what ended up being the game-winning run as Barnes crossed the plate.
Barnes now has two home runs on the season, and incredibly, both have been of the inside-the-park variety. Here’s the first inside-the-park homer Barnes hit this season:
