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Bryson Stott Murdered a Baseball
By Matt Schultz
Published:
The Phillies beat the Diamondbacks 2-1 in the first game of a three-game series in Arizona on Monday night, and if you didn’t get to to watch, allow me to fill you in on the clear high water mark of the evening – Bryson Stott clobbered the hell out of a baseball for his tenth homer of the season:
The ball went 464 feet and had an exit velo of 109.9. Jesus. It was also the furthest hit ball of his career, surpassing his previous high of 441 feet he set against the Marlins last year. Credit where it’s due, Ben Davis had it right on the call: “That is without a doubt the farthest ball I’ve ever seen Bryson Stott hit.”
But also, beyond the stats of it and knowing it actually was the farthest ball he’s ever hit, the homer was simply incredible by the eye test – you could tell it was a special one even if you didn’t track the ball. Bryson’s nice and easy swing, the full extension, him leaving the bat out behind him with one arm as he watched the ball go – it looked a father stepping in and taking one quick wiffle ball at-bat with the neighborhood kids. I guess Bryson’s just very casually sending balls into orbit now. That’s pretty sick.
Also the sound of it. This was the perfect sound for a home run. Nice deep thud/crack. You could close your eyes and listen and still know the ball was crushed. That’s a nice sound.
The Phillies continued their hot streak with the win, and have now won five straight and 8 of their last 10. They posted an MLB-best 21-7 record in August (!!!) to improve to 78-60 overall, and now sit just four games back of the Braves in the division. This is good. I am enjoying this. If Stott can keep sending balls nearly 500 feet, I think we could be in store for a good September/October here. I believe it will happen.
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…) email: M.Schultz@sportradar.com