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.
