Billy Hamilton Somehow Got A Hit On A Pitch That Bounced In Front Of Home Plate

Hitting a baseball is an incredibly difficult thing to do. The very best people at doing so succeed only about a third of the time, because the very best pitchers are insanely good at their job.

With pitchers throwing with more velocity and more movement than ever before — even accounting for the crackdown on sticky substances — there are a lot of swings and misses now, including some that make batters look flat out silly. Every once in awhile, though, a batter gets to turn the tables on a pitcher, taking their best pitch and still managing to turn it into a hit.

On Wednesday, White Sox speedster Billy Hamilton did this accidentally, when he gave a half-hearted check swing at a ball that bounced a full foot in front of home plate in a 2-2 count, but somehow managed to get the barrel on the ball as it bounced up for a grounder to the third baseman. Because Hamilton is one of the fastest people in baseball, he naturally beat out the throw for the most ridiculous infield single of the season.

Look at where that ball bounces! It’s not even close and Hamilton was so fooled by the break that he still tried to swing and accidentally bunted the ball to third. The reaction of Jason Benetti on the White Sox call going, “what in the world was that?!” encapsulates what everyone’s first thought is. The first baseman is in total disbelief that Hamilton got on base off of that pitch, and Hamilton himself has a laugh at first realizing he absolutely stole one.