I was watching some of the White Sox/Tigers game in the afternoon Tuesday (the first game of a doubleheader) and saw the most rare occurrence. Leadoff man Juan Pierre stepped up to the plate to lead off the 5th and proceeded to launch a home run to right field. This was not some cheap shot that just barely sneaked over the fence nor was it an inside-the-parker like you would expect from Juan. This was a rocket that went clear over the right field fence at Comerica Park.
Not only was the homer Pierre’s first of the year, it was his first since September 15th, 2008. That’s right, Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello served up a dinger to little ole’ Juan Pierre who had gone 811 at-bats without homering in the Majors. 811!
To give you some more perspective on how long it’s been since Pierre went deep, JP was still a member of the Dodgers and the almighty combination of Angel Berroa and Nomar Garciaparra comprised the left side of the team’s infield. Also, the guy who served up that dinger — Marino Salas — hasn’t pitched in the majors since. Porcello gave up seven earned runs and saw his ERA rise to 5.91. Your move, Dombrowski.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Duane Burleson
