Edwin Encarnacion hit a home run into the restaurant in Toronto (Video)
Edwin Encarnacion has teased fans for years with his potential, but he’s finally breaking out the way many believed he could. The Blue Jays DH/1B hit two home runs in Toronto’s 11-9 win over the Indians on Saturday, including one prodigious blast that went into the restaurant above the massive Honda advertisement above center field.
Encarnacion’s first home run was a two-run tomahawk job off Ubaldo Jimenez to left in the third to make it 4-2. His moon shot was a solo blast in the 5th (seen about 45 seconds into the video above) off Jeremy Accardo to make it 11-4. Encarnacion hammered the ball so hard center fielder Michael Brantley didn’t even move because he knew he didn’t have a shot at the ball.
According to SportsNet Canada, Jim Thome is the only other player to hit a ball into Sightlines Restaurant during a regular season game. Cecil Fielder hit a ball into the restaurant during the 1991 Home Run Derby, and Kirby Puckett put one there during the actual All-Star Game that year.
Estimates say the ball traveled 448 feet, but I think that’s a conservative measurement. Not bad returns for the Blue Jays on their investment after signing Encarnacion to a three-year $29 million contract over the All-Star break.