Second Thoughts

Mauer makes shifty Pirates regret move

Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins did something Tuesday that had not been done in major league baseball since 2003.
Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins did something Tuesday that had not been done in major league baseball since 2003.

Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins pulled off a baseball oddity Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mauer came to the plate in the second inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh with the bases loaded. He got his only hit of the game, an RBI single, which wasn't a surprise. The oddity occurred when Mauer's single cleared the bases.

While a large part of the Pirates' success over the past few years has been their embrace of the defensive shift -- they led the National League last season, according to Michael Clair of mlb.com -- it came back to bite them this time.

Shortstop Jung Ho Kang was pulled behind the bag at second base, leaving a wide hole on the left side of the infield, which was right where Mauer's single went. Left fielder Sterling Marte was slow to retrieve the ball, and all three Twins runners were able to race around the bases on a ball hit roughly 200 feet.

Those three runs turned out to be the margin of victory as the Twins won 8-5.

According to the Play Index on baseball-reference.com, it wasn't the first time a player drove in three runs with a ground-ball single. The last time it occurred was July 19, 2003, when Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees drove in three against Cleveland Indians pitcher CC Sabathia.

Oddly enough, the Yankees also won that game by three runs.

Monster meal

Some people go to baseball games to enjoy the game. Some go for the fellowship of friends. Others go to enjoy the food.

The Fresno Grizzlies, the Class AAA affiliate of the Houston Astros, have taken their concession offerings to a new level for those who enjoy their food.

As part of a "Halfway to Halloween" promotion for Thursday's game against the Nashville Sounds, one concession stand at Chukchansi Stadium will offer something called The Frankenslice.

It's a slice of pepperoni pizza with a hot dog rolled in the crust that is baked in a smoker so both the pizza and the hot dog have a smoky flavor. A limited number were available for $7 each, and if there's enough demand it will be back on the menu Saturday, according to the Fresno Bee.

"You can eat it however you want," said Sam Hansen, Fresno's marketing director and the creator of The Frankenslice. "But the idea is you eat the slice of pizza and when you're done with the pizza, you put ketchup and mustard on the crust and you eat the hot dog. It's a combo meal in every slice."

If only The Frankenslice came with a side of antacids.

Tweet of the week

From the Chicago Cubs, after President Obama listed the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks and White Sox as the hometown teams he roots for: "We're big fans of America. Just saying. #YouMissedATeam."

Sports quiz

Joe Mauer holds four MLB records for catchers. What are they?

Answer

Highest career batting average (.328), highest single-season batting average (.365), highest career on-base percentage (.444) and most batting titles won (3).

Sports on 05/22/2015

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