The Weird And The Wonderful: Brian Dozier's Amazing Single

Gif from The Score provides a fine perspective!

[ UPDATED 4:40 P.M., 7/1/12]
Yes, I understand this scene (full video) from the Twins June 30 ballgame has already played out in other parts of the blogosphere...

...but for purposes of this site, it really deserves a small space at Classic Twins. We don't really do much up-to-the-minute stuff at this blog, ever. Yet, if we can include posts about weird fielding plays (see Brant Alyea's role in The Most Bizarre Fielding Play in Twins history), our guy Brian can get his niche.

Unlike the video-bereft Alyea post, this scene was captured by MLB Media. Otherwise, words, in no way, would provide justice. In the fifth inning of the first game of a split doubleheader at Target Field, Brian Dozier went to bat against Jonathan Sanchez, one out, two runners on base, with a 1-0 count when a fastball rode in on his hands, jammed him, producing a 45 foot squibber up the first base line into foul territory. A normal ball will roll foul, which it was for the first five feet of life. Then, it spun violently back into fair territory for an infield single. You see for yourself...

A memorable play to be recalled years from now, likely. Ryan Doumit alertly scored from second base, as the video shows. In his last 20 games (scroll to blue area, game logs) Dozier had batted .194 (14 for 72, with -EGAD-3 extra base hits, 4 RBI!). Thus, a screwball hit = manna from heaven.

Dozier remarked:

''It was spinning really, really hard, so I was just like, 'Well, why not, I'm dying for a hit, let's just take off and see what happens,''' Dozier said with a laugh. ''(Justin Morneau) of course was the first one, he said, 'Hey why don't you just try that every time, you might get a hit out of it.''

I would have loved the comment our great Hall of Fame announcer might have given ("Well, John, that was a basehit only Minnesota Fats could love!").

"So long, everybody!" (Herb Carneal)
- TT