FanPost

A Swing and a Drive #5: Casey Kotchman kidnapped, replaced by good hitter for one at-bat

This is the sixth of a series looking at the Indians' 10 longest home runs of the 2012 season, as measured by ESPN's Hit Tracker.

The fifth longest home run of the season was hit by that illustrious power hitter, Casey Kotchman. Wait, what?

It was the top of the fifth inning on April 14 at Kauffman Stadium, and the Indians were up 6-2 on the Royals. Both starters had already been removed from the game more than an inning before, the Royals' Jonathan Sanchez having been chased from the game after 2 2/3 poor innings, and the Tribe's Jeanmar Gomez ejected after hitting a KC batter in retaliation for Sanchez's plunking of Choo. Tiny Tim Collins was pitching for Kansas City, and Kotchman opened the fifth with this drive to right-center field:

The ball came off the bat at 106.6 mph and traveled 431 feet. It was the longest homer Kotchman has hit since Hit Tracker began tracking home run distances in 2006, and could easily be the longest of his career. (He hit seven home runs in 2005).


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