Relive Bobby Witt Jr.’s inside-the-park homer for Royals vs. Tigers by the numbers
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bobby Witt Jr. hit an inside-the-park home run as the Royals beat the Tigers 5-1.
- Statcast recorded Witt’s sprint speed at 30.4 feet per second on the play.
- Witt’s 14.13-second home-to-home ranks fourth fastest in the Statcast era.
Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the most electrifying athletes in Major League Baseball.
On Saturday, Witt proved it yet again with an inside-the-park homer against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. The speedy shortstop circled the bases in 14.13 seconds as the Royals earned a 5-1 victory and series win over their American League Central rivals.
Just how special was Witt’s performance? Here’s a look behind the numbers as he blazed his way to another memorable night.
14.13 seconds
Let’s start with the most impressive feat. Witt ran home-to-home in a little over 14 seconds, and he did so with little dramatics. Once Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter misplayed the baseball in right field, it was pretty much a done deal.
Witt blazed a trail on the basepaths. He rounded third base and threw his helmet off before sliding head first across home plate. The incoming throw from the relay man never had a chance and the Royals took a 2-0 lead.
“It was kind of blocking my vision a little bit,” Witt said of his helmet. “So I was trying to hit it off, and luckily I got it off.”
Per Statcast, Witt reached a 30.4 sprint speed (feet per second) as he navigated his way around the bases. There was no thought that he would slow up — and he felt the crowd’s roar with each checkpoint he passed.
At 14.13 seconds, Witt now has the fourth-fastest home-to-home time in the Statcast Era (since 2015). He trails only Minnesota’s Byron Buxton — who has clocked times of 13.85 and 14.05 — and Cubs standout Pete Crow-Armstrong (14.08).
Kauffman Stadium erupted as he crossed home plate Saturday night. The 26,724 fans in attendance knew they’d seen something special, showering him with gratitude, and the Royals never looked back.
“I feel like every base I hit, it got a little louder,” Witt said. “And so yeah, I just knew when I was rounding third, it got loud. So I just had to keep going.”
Aug. 14, 2023
Nearly two years ago, Witt hit his first inside-the-park homer off Seattle Mariners starter Logan Gilbert. That thrilling play also came at Kauffman Stadium, and it involved a right-fielder misplaying the ball.
Witt had nearly identical slides on the two trips around the bases. His inside-the-parker Saturday was the first by a Royals player since the last time he did it.
When asked which one of the two inside-the-park feats stood out the most, Witt cited his most recent one.
“This one,” he said, “because it was today for sure.”
103
Witt wrote his name in the Royals’ record books again, too. His inside-the-park home run was the 103rd in franchise history.
Per the Royals, Witt is the 21st Royal with multiple inside-the-park homers. Royals Hall of Famer Willie Wilson sits atop that list, with 13 during his career.
“Balls down the right-field line don’t turn into home runs in the park unless it’s that guy,” teammate and second baseman Michael Massey said of Witt. “So yeah, watching him run is fun.”
