Touch 'em all? Not so easy for these players

Scoring a run in baseball is simple. You just have to touch all four bases and you're home.

Or, maybe it's not.

Just ask Ke'Bryan Hayes or Bobby Witt Jr., who both lost home runs Tuesday night when they were called out for missing a base -- Hayes for not touching first on his homer for the Pirates, Witt for not touching home for Northwest Arkansas, the Royals' Double-A affiliate.

You could also ask any of these other players. Here are notable incidents of baseball players not touching a base.

Ke'Bryan Hayes, Pirates -- June 8, 2021

Hayes’ fly ball down the right-field line at PNC Park appeared to be a home run at first view, and when the play was reviewed, it appeared the question may have been whether it bounced off the top of the wall or not. The Pirates’ young third baseman had been watching the ball in the right-field corner as he hit it, unsure if it might land foul and that made him miss first base as he rounded it. Upon review, he was found to have missed the bag as he watched the ball and was called out. No home run.

Bobby Witt Jr., Royals -- June 8, 2021 (Minor Leagues)

Two players losing home runs for not touching a base in the same day is crazy, but it happened. Witt, MLB Pipeline's No. 7 prospect, would have had a two-homer game. Instead, he had to settle for one, and an extra triple in the scorecard.

Dustin Garneau, Rockies -- April 20, 2016

Garneau's blunder helped the Reds beat the Rockies, 6-5 -- the Colorado catcher scored the apparent tying run on Ryan Raburn's two-out pinch-hit single in the seventh inning, but he missed third base and was called out on appeal. The call was upheld after the Rockies challenged.

Andres Torres, Mets -- Sept. 3, 2012

Even though this play happened with the Mets trailing the Cardinals by one run in the ninth inning, skipper Terry Collins found some humor in the situation later because none other than former Met Carlos Beltrán was the one who alerted the Cardinals to Torres missing first base on what would have been a leadoff double. Beltrán, who was down in the batting cage, apparently overheard the Cardinals broadcast wondering if Torres had missed the bag. He got word to manager Mike Matheny in time for St. Louis to successfully appeal.

Raul Mondesi Jr. -- June 25, 2012 (Minor Leagues)

This is not Adalberto Mondesi, who was still going by Raul at the time; it's his brother, Raul Jr., who also played Minor League ball for the Brewers. In a game between Helena and Missoula on June 25, 2012, Mondesi crushed what would have been a game-tying, two-out, two-run homer in the 10th inning. But he forgot to touch home plate (the umpire said afterwards Mondesi missed the plate "by eight inches.") Raul Jr. was called out on appeal … ballgame over.

Ryan Church, Mets -- May 18, 2009

In a 3-2, 11-inning loss at Dodger Stadium, the Mets had the go-ahead run in wiped off the board in the 11th when Church missed third base on Angel Pagan's gapper to the right-center-field wall. After the game, Church said, "I just feel terrible, because touching the bag is a simple thing to do and I didn't do it."

Robinson Canó, Yankees -- July 6, 2007

The Yankees won this game, 14-9, over the Angels at Yankee Stadium, but they had a run taken away in the fifth because Canó missed a base. Miguel Cairo drove a two-out RBI hit to the left-center-field gap, and made it all the way to third, but he lost an additional RBI because Canó didn't touch third on his way home.

After the game, Canó could only smile and say, "I'm always in trouble here."

David Justice, Braves -- 1991 NLCS Game 5

This one happened in a pivotal postseason game. The Braves were tied two games apiece with the Pirates when Justice was called out for missing third base while scoring on Mark Lemke's single in the fourth inning. Atlanta lost the game, 1-0, and fell to the brink of elimination. Luckily, it rallied to win Game 6 and 7 on the road in Pittsburgh and advanced to the World Series.

Justice, for his part, insisted he had touched the base: "I stepped on third. All you've got to do is look at the replay. My right foot skidded right across it," he said after the game, and added, "If I didn't touch it, I would've stopped right there. I didn't pound it, but I touched it."

Al Cowens, Mariners -- June 17, 1983

Cowens hit what was initially an inside-the-park home run to left field in the second inning in Kansas City. But he was called out on appeal for missing second base amidst his mad dash, credited instead with a single and was out at second. Cowens’ inside-the-parker would’ve been a second straight homer for the Mariners in the inning, giving them a 2-0 lead. Instead, they lost, 3-1.

Carlos May, White Sox -- April 7, 1971

In the first inning of the second game of a doubleheader in Oakland, May hit what should have been a three-run homer to solidify a four-run first for the White Sox off Rollie Fingers. But May did not touch home plate on his trot and was out on appeal, credited instead with a two-run triple for a three-run first instead. The White Sox won anyway, 12-4, to sweep the doubleheader.

"As I was rounding third base, the bench was empty," May said after the game. "I mean nobody was in the dugout; they were all at home plate. As I got toward home, they mobbed me, and I guess I never touched the plate. I don’t know how [A’s catcher] Gene Tenace saw that I missed it with everybody around. I was in the dugout when Tenace got a new ball, came over and tagged me and the umpire said I was out. I was embarrassed!"

Marv Throneberry, Mets -- June 17, 1962

One of the most famous legends of the hapless 1962 Mets involves "Marvelous Marv" Throneberry hitting a two-run triple, only to be called out for missing first base … and second base.

Throneberry was at the center of many of the anecdotes involving the '62 Mets. This one took place against the Cubs in the first part of a doubleheader in June. The story goes that Mets manager Casey Stengel came out to argue when Throneberry was called out because he missed first, only to be told by the umpire, "Don’t bother, Casey ... he missed second base, too."

Hank Aaron, Braves -- 1952 (Minor Leagues)

Aaron once said that he never watched his home runs after he hit them because of something that happened to him in his first Minor League season, 1952, on his very first home run. This was Class C ball in Wisconsin, where Aaron was playing for the Eau Claire Bears after the Braves signed the future home run king out of the Negro Leagues.

Here's the story, in Aaron's words: "The funny thing is that I never saw them. Whenever I hit a home run, I'm too busy concentrating on touching first base to watch the ball.

"I was on the road to realizing my dream of making the Major Leagues. And when I hit my first home run there, I was so excited, I missed first base and was tagged out. From that day on, I decided if I hit the ball into the stands, I'll know about it, and then I can go into my trot."

Cy Williams, Cubs -- July 13, 1915

Players have been missing bases as long as Major League Baseball has existed. Here's an early example. Williams hit what should have been a two-run inside-the-park home run in the fourth inning at the Polo Grounds, but he missed third base and was called out. The Cubs went on to lose the game by a run, 4-3, so that potential additional run from Williams loomed large.