​Colorado Rockies leadoff hitter Jake McCarthy launched a line drive off San Francisco Giants starter Trevor McDonald into right-center field at Oracle Park on Sunday. Right fielder Jung Hoo Lee appeared to slow his pursuit, anticipating the ball would hop over the wall, but it did not, and McCarthy sprinted around the bases as Lee misread the carom. The Rockies’ speedster finished the sequence with a hook slide into home and a celebratory flex after rising.
At first, McCarthy wasn’t credited with a piece of MLB inside-the-park history because Lee was charged with an error. The official scorer later revised the play, turning what was ruled a triple into a home run. This marked McCarthy’s second first-inning inside-the-park homer of the season and the third in Rockies franchise history. The highlight stood as the Rockies’ lone run in Sunday’s 3-1 loss.
McCarthy is making a name for himself in Colorado, becoming the first batter in the majors to accumulate two leadoff inside-the-park homers in a single season since Edd Roush of the New York Giants in 1929. He also joined a small cadre of nine players since 1901 to record multiple inside-the-park homers. Acquired in the offseason from the Arizona Diamondbacks, McCarthy has continued to prove he can be a building block for a Rockies club that’s currently in last place (39-59). As the All-Star break approaches, the 28-year-old could secure a long-term role with a rebuilding team if he produces a strong second half.
McCarthy is enjoying a career year, already setting personal bests with a .301 batting average, 10 homers, 18 doubles and a .516 slugging percentage across 83 games. He isn’t unfamiliar with setting league milestones, either. In a 15-3 Rockies victory on July 3, he became the first player to record a leadoff homer, a grand slam, and a stolen base in the same game.
What’s next for McCarthy? He has already joined a growing list of notable moments across MLB as fans anticipate how his presence will shape Colorado’s direction during the second half of the season and into the future. For readers seeking more context and reporting from The Sporting News, click here to add The Sporting News as a preferred source.