I was shooting photos at this afternoon’s Giants game, and I caught some decent ones of Tim Hudson collecting a base hit (more on Hudson’s hitting is coming shortly in a future post). I was standing on the concourse behind the Giants dugout, and after getting a bunch of pictures I decided to head back to the press box. Then I realized Buster Posey was coming to the plate, so I ran back to my station to get a few “stock photos” of 2014 Posey.
Actually, I was hoping to capture exactly what happened a few pitches later.
I’d love to let everyone know what pitch Tony Cingrani, the Reds lefty starter, threw here. But unfortunately I had one eye closed and the other was focused on Posey. Let’s just call this a 98-mph fastball, shall we?
Posey’s follow-through was my favorite part of this whole sequence:
This of course led to a battle for the baseball up on the grass beyond the left field wall at Goodyear Ballpark, where 50% of the fans seemed to be rooting for the Giants.
I’m always amused at how umpires don’t really care whether the ball is in a middle infielder’s possession when second base is touched during a good percentage of successfully turned double-plays (the so-called “neighborhood play”), but they’re pretty darned serious about guys touching every base on homers.
Even Reds catcher Brayan Pena thought he might catch Posey snoozing at home plate. Or maybe he was just checking out Posey’s shoes.
I was lucky enough to be taking photos when Brandon Belt hit a home run a year ago in Scottsdale, and while Belt’s reaction after shaking hands with Tim Flannery was funnier, I was still glad I stuck with Posey instead of heading to the press box. Alright, I’ll come clean. I was going to go grab a sandwich at one of the concession stands, and I did exactly that after Posey’s blast.
Posey went 3-for-3 with four RBIs (this was a three-run homer, by the way), raising his Spring average to .412 in the Giants’ 8-5 win.
“This is where you try to get your timing,” Bruce Bochy said after the game when asked about what he took away from the 2012 National League MVP’s performance at the plate.
“But as much as that is getting your confidence going too. Not that he ever lacks that. But I know he’s been working on some things this Spring to get on track, what he thinks is on track.”
From the looks of things, Posey is doing just fine.
