I’ve never been in a game like that

Quite a game yesterday, featuring a nifty duck-and-split from Kung Fu Panda, as the G-men took the series finale from LA. Nice article from MLB’s Andrew Pentis:

Sandoval … was brushed back by a first-pitch fastball
from McDonald that appeared to graze Sandoval’s left elbow, prompting
the Giants third baseman to stare out at the mound and raise his arms.
Both teams’ benches cleared..

McDonald said, “He swung at the pitch. How bad could it have been?”

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp added, “If he doesn’t want to be pitched inside, tell him not to hit .330.”

Sandoval said the ball definitely hit just below his elbow, and he
tried to show the mark its impact left to the umpires, though they had
already ruled it had nicked the knob of his bat. The plate appearance
ended in a walk.

“I was surprised,” Sandoval said of the umpires’ decision. “[But] that’s what they saw.”

… “I didn’t want to [behave like] that,” Sandoval said, adding he let
himself get caught up in the “temper” of the game. “[I realized I] had
to calm down.”

… Sandoval’s interesting sequence didn’t end there: Two batters later,
Nate Schierholtz grounded into a potential inning-ending double play,
but Sandoval stopped in between first and second base, evaded the tag
of Juan Castro while doing the splits and found second base safely.

Castro appeared to swipe at Sandoval with his glove, while the ball was in his right hand.

All that, and Sandoval only traveled 180 feet.

“I’ve never been in a game like that,” Sandoval said, smiling. “It was my first time.”

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