Chris Dudley Hits Shaq With The Ball (3/28/1999)
​
Improbable odds are frequently beaten in sports, like those homers by Bucky Dent and Ozzie Smith, for example. Or Eli Manning's first Super Bowl win against the 18-0 Patriots. Or that time Chris Dudley got so mad at Shaquille O'Neal that he hit him square in the ass with a ball from 50 feet away.
​
The same Chris Dudley who shot 41% for his career, and 46% from the foul line. Granted, Shaq is wide, but that's still some accuracy.
​
Notes: There is some history here: in a 1997 game, Dudley deliberately shoved O'Neal attempting to prevent an easy basket; the Lakers were not pleased.
​
Note the Laker Girl's reaction in the background when Dudley heaves the ball.
​
The Lakers would win 99-91, with O'Neal outscoring Dudley 21-2.
Blue Jays Terrible Baserunning (7/26/2015)
​
To all you Little Leaguers out there, A) leave this site; it's not age-appropriate. B) if you make a mistake, don't get down on yourself, because even the best of the best commit head-scratching goofs at times.
​
Such as the time Kevin Pillar of the Toronto Blue Jays followed Ezequiel Carrera's BB with a single, putting runners on the corners and setting the stage for the most epic groundout of Ryan Goins' career.
​
Notes: Taijuan Walker is the Seattle pitcher inducing the ground ball; Mark Trumbo is the 1B and Chris Taylor—yes, that Chris Taylor—is the 2B who kick the TP off. The frustrated third base coach is Luis Rivera.
​
It seems to me Pillar is the primary goat here for taking third base and leaving Carrera nowhere to retreat once he got hung up—that is how it's taught, but only if the other runner is sure to be tagged out. Then both men allowed themselves to be tagged off 3B...ouch.
​
Seattle won 6-5 on a walk-off solo shot by Franklin Gutierrez (off Aaron Loup) in the 10th inning.
Glenallen Hill Hits One Out Of Wrigley (5/11/2000)
​
Just picture a Cubs fan perching in the rooftop seats across Waveland Avenue...wearing a mitt. Maybe no one laughs at him/her out loud, but they'd do so internally.
​
Unless, that is, said fan wore that mitt on May 11, 2000 for a divisional clash between the Cubs and Brewers. Milwaukee righty Steve Woodard makes a decent pitch, but Cubs OF Glenallen Hill beats it.
Beats it a LONG way...
​
Notes: The bomb was officially measured at 456 feet, but do YOU believe that? I don't.
​
Chip Caray is on the play-by-play call; not sure about the color man. (Non-SF broadcasters aren't my strength.)
​
Hill's solo shot was a 2nd-inning blast that cut Chicago's deficit to 3-1; they went on to lose 14-8.
Rickie Weeks Beaned (4/13/2009)
​
In just Milwaukee's seventh game of the 2009 season, Rickie Weeks put on a show of toughness that'd rival that of 20 overcooked steaks. Squaring around to bunt against Edinson Volquez of Cincinnati, Weeks watched as a fastball clanked off of his jaw.
​
Notes: Weeks, who batted leadoff, did indeed stay in the game for all nine innings, finishing 1-for-4 (the hit came prior to the beaning). It was already his 3rd HBP of '09! Ken Macha was Milwaukee's manager at the time.
​
After the plunking, Hart lined out, and the next two batters were also retired—Milwaukee didn't score despite the loaded bases/0 out setup. Cincinnati wound up winning 7-5.
DeAndre Jordan's Errant Dunk Attempt (12/11/2013)
​
It's no secret that basketball players are athletic and can perform acrobatic high-flying maneuvers that mere mortals couldn't even draw.
​
Like the "simple" act of dunking, for example—when was the last time YOU rose above a 10-foot hoop? (If you're reading this, Kevin Durant, no need to answer.)
​
Dunking isn't really simple, obviously, and when you're high in the air trying to throw a ball through a hoop with maximum force, sometimes miscalculations can happen. Like when DeAndre Jordan attempted to rock the rim off a lob from Chris Paul.
​
Notes: This game was Clippers coach Doc Rivers' first back in Boston (who he led to two NBA Finals, winning one). LA triumphed 96-88, with Jordan scoring five points—the dunk was his only FG miss in three attempts.
​
Celtics #38 Vitor Faverani is seen dislodging the ball.
Nick Swisher's Embarrassing Out (7/8/2013)
​
On the one hand, you can't blame Cleveland's Nick Swisher—the ball was foul. On the other hand, you have to blame Nick Swisher because the ball was still moving near the line.
As anyone with a near decade of MLB experience should know, slow rollers down the line aren't foul until/unless touched by an opponent in foul ground. If Swish had simply paid attention, he'd have known what Tigers C Brayan Pena was up to, and avoided the embarrassment immortalized in this video.
​
Notes: The Tiger P is Bruce Rondon, who had just relieved Max Scherzer; Swisher was the first batter of the B8th inning. The next two batters were also retired, and Detroit eventually won following a two-run 10th inning. Swisher finished the game 2-for 5 despite the gaffe.
​
Scott Kazmir started and went 5.2 IP for the Indians.
Velasquez Throws Out Runner...LEFTY! (6/30/2018)
​
You can look it up: in every media guide, on every website, on every baseball card that's been published to date, Phillies P Vince Velasquez is listed as a right-handed pitcher. Only Pat Venditte is listed as ambidextrous.
​
So why, in June of 2018, was he ditching his mitt and throwing dudes out LEFT-handed?
​
Notes: This play took place in the B3rd, with Philly trailing Washington 1-0; Velasquez' inning-ending throw robbed Adam Eaton of an RBI single. Third baseman Jesmuel Valentin is first to attend to the fallen pitcher, with trainer Scott Sheridan close behind.
​
Victor Arano immediately succeeded Velasquez; four more relievers held down an eventual 3-2 Phillies victory. Velasquez missed his next start but recovered to throw six shutout innings at the Mets July 11.
Travis Snider Walks Into A Double Play (7/30/2014)
​
In baseball, there are gift outs...and then there are GIFT outs. As the Pittsburgh Pirates work to increase a 5-4 lead in the 6th inning, Giants reliever Jean Machi walks Chris Stewart,
​
Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Travis Snider admittedly believed a runner was on first base before the walk, and as such was meandering to third when the Giants defense rudely corrected him.
​
Notes: Gaby Sanchez is the runner on third who foolishly broke for home when Snider broke for third, allowing SF to record two outs rather than one.
​
Brandon Crawford is the fielder tagging out Snider, while Pablo Sandoval finishes off Sanchez. The Giants executed a three-run rally in the 7th and won 7-5.