Helios Ramos never saw the ball. He slashed at the first pitch from Jesse Chavez and took a few steps toward first base. He stopped and held his hands out as if to say, what happened?
Only when the ball reached the seats did he know the answer. An invisible home run.
You can’t blame him if he didn’t expect one, though. Fifteen other balls in play were hit harder than Ramos's homer Tuesday night, and seven of them were outs.
After the game Ramos said his helmet covered his eyes at the exact moment he looked for the ball. That sounds like an issue—unless all you have to do is jog around the bases.
Sometimes it's better to be lucky and good.
Up next: It’ll be Jordan Hicks (4-4, 3.36 ERA) against a resurgent Chris Sale (10-3, 2.79 ERA). Sale’s allowed more than two runs in a start only once since April 19. First pitch at 4:20 p.m.