Pitcher's HR After A Foul Bunt Non-Call Was The Nuttiest Part Of A Very Nutty Brewers-Reds Game

When Reds pitcher Michael Lorenzen entered the batter’s box in the bottom of the sixth of tonight’s game against the Brewers, he was just trying to do what most pitchers do when asked to hit: his best.

With two runners on base, Lorenzen was supposed to lay down a bunt. Brewers reliever Taylor Williams threw inside on a 1-2 count, and Lorenzen made contact with his bat as he dove away from the pitch. The call was a regular foul ball.

A bunt foul with a two-strike count would usually be a strikeout, but umpire Tony Randazzo believed Lorenzen was pulling back and the contact with the ball was inadvertent—a call Brewers manager Craig Counsell disagreed with. Nevertheless, the Cincinnati pitcher received a second chance and made the most of it. It was Lorenzen’s fourth homer of the season and his third against the Brewers; he celebrated with a hearty bat flip.

Crew chief Bill Welke offered this explanation after the game:

Even though Randazzo’s call and Lorenzen’s three-run shot padded the Reds’ lead to 10-6, the Brewers won, 13-12. The game was surprisingly entertaining, given that it was between a last-place team and a club that’s scrabbling to make the playoffs. The 10-inning affair also featured Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich going 6-for-6 with three RBIs as he hit for the cycle:

Along with a bevy of lead changes involving nine home runs:

The only disappointing part of the night was that the Reds’ scheduled Bark in the Park was nixed due to the weather:

Although there were no dogs, those 17 fans in attendance really got their money’s worth.