Pablo Sandoval’s 6-Run Home Run Highlights Wild Action in Dubai’s Baseball United
Baseball United is just two days old, but the new league continues to produce some wild highlights.
On Friday, it was a 50-year-old Bartolo Colon retiring the side in the top of first inning. On Saturday, another plus-sized former MLB star made his presence felt in Dubai.
Third baseman Pablo Sandoval stepped up to the plate for the East All-Stars with the score tied 2-2 in the fifth inning. The three-time World Series champion then delivered a first in his baseball career, as well as a first for Baseball United, and possibly the entire sport.
The San Francisco Giants legend took full advantage of the "Moneyball At-Bat," which meant that any run scored on the play counted as two. So instead of hitting a run-of-the-mill three-run home run, Sandoval blasted what turned out to be a six-run shot to right-center.
Sandoval blasted 153 home runs over the course of his 14-year major league career. He made two All-Star appearances with the Giants before falling off with the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.
The 37-year-old third baseman hasn't played in the United States since July 2021, bouncing around between Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela before landing in the United Arab Emirates this fall.
Kung Fu Panda and Big Sexy aren't the only former MLB players who are playing overseas in Baseball United, either.
The league – the first in the Middle East or Southeast Asia – began earlier this year, holding its draft in October. Shortstop Didi Gregorious, second baseman Robinson Canó, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, outfielder Alejandro De Aza and catcher Wilin Rosario were among those who heard their names called.
With the All-Star Showcase in the rear-view mirror, Baseball United's upcoming schedule has yet to be announced.
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