When you close your eyes and imagine some of the most iconic home runs in MLB history, who are some of the sluggers that come to mind?
Is it Babe Ruth’s called shot in the 1932 World Series?
Maybe it’s Kirk Gibson’s one-legged blast in the 1988 Fall Classic, with the Dodgers star limping around the basepaths as Jack Buck couldn’t believe what he just saw.
Or is it Barry Bonds setting the single-season home run record in 2001, a mark that may never be reached again?
All great choices, but wrong.
Does May 26, 1993, Cleveland Indians vs. Texas Rangers ring any bells?
It should, because any baseball fan worth their salt knows that this is the day the actual, most iconic home run in baseball history was launched by Indians infielder Carlos Martinez… with some help from Rangers outfielder (and amateur boxer) Jose Canseco.
Martinez only hit 25 home runs in his career, and this one was well short of clearing the wall, so he may want to send Canseco and his juiced-up noggin a thank-you card every year around Memorial Day, but I digress.
Canseco may also want to start drafting up a thank-you card, because his infamous “home run header” has been replaced by a very unlucky college baseball player in an NJCAA game between Highland and Butler.
Feast your eyes on this unfortunate beauty.
With all due respect to Canseco, this is an infinitely more impressive home run assist.
Look at how far that ball travels after smacking that kid in his dome piece. The outfielder for Highland isn’t even at the warning track and a lazy fly ball turns into a no-doubter home run.
Even the announcer is incredulous. He thinks it’s a ground rule double (and there’s a good chance he wasn’t even alive when Canseco launched that ball into the cheap seats at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.
So, the next time you think of iconic home runs, make sure you include this baseball blunder in the pantheon of long bombs.