KC Royals: Bo Jackson Ten Best Plays As A Royal (Video)
By John Viril
Bo Jackson’s best play’s as a Kansas City Royal player: 4. The Time-Out Home Run
Now, we’re getting to the real Paul Bunyoneque plays of Bo Jackson’s career. Everything from now on, looks, and sounds, like something out of legend.
In the past, such stories were told by old men about the legends of the game. No one knew whether they should believe them or not. With Bo Jackson, we have the video.
You can judge for yourself whether the myth lives up to the reality.
Bo steps to the plate in the bottom of the 4th inning on July 29, 1988 against the Orioles. The Kansas City Royals are leading 3-1 with Pat Tabler on first and Frank White on second.
Bo holds up his hand, requesting a time out. Home plate umpire Mike Reilly doesn’t say a word and Baltimore starter Jeff Ballard throws a pitch.
Jackson realizes that he doesn’t have a time out, and blasts Ballard’s hanging curveball into the seats behind left field for a 3-run home run.
The KC Royals led 6-1 and eventually go on to win 6-2.
Guess the object lesson was: if Bo doesn’t want to hit, thank your lucky stars that you know for certain he’s not going to beat your brains in over the next few seconds.
I mean, really. This feat seems to fit right in with Babe Ruth’s legendary called shot, or something that Bernard Malamud made up for Roy Hobbs in The Natural.
Superscout, and storytelling legend, Buck O’Neil marveled after Bo’s first batting practice home run when a Jackson shot hit the crown behind centerfield in Royals Stadium. O’Neil claimed that he had only heard a sound like that 3 times in his life: 1) Babe Ruth, 2) Josh Gibson, and 3) Bo Jackson.
Holy crap. That’s good company.
Next: July 11, 1990