OAKLAND -- From Reggie Jackson to The Bash Brothers to Jason Giambi to Matt Olson, Oakland Coliseum has seen countless sluggers who have tested the stadium’s limits. On Saturday, Franmil Reyes joined that list.

Reyes hit one of the more impressive home runs at the Coliseum in recent memory in the eighth inning of the Indians' 3-2 win on Saturday, not only easily clearing the center-field wall, but hitting one into the luxury suites. Reyes’ teammates were impressed. They were not shocked.

“There’s just not a baseball park that can contain him,” said pitcher Cal Quantrill of the 6-foot-5, 265-pound slugger. “Watch his [batting practice]. The other team watches his batting practice. He’s a freak. It’s almost just like you’re waiting for today to happen. It’s not even a surprise.”

The slugger’s awe-inspiring display of power, one that generated oohs and aahs from the home crowd, traveled a Statcast-projected 437 feet. Manager Terry Francona believed that number to be on the more conservative side.

The fan who ended up with the surprise souvenir made a late attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the home run, throwing the ball back onto the field. There must’ve been some second and third thoughts about the decision as the fan didn't throw the ball until well after Reyes returned to the dugout. The attempted insult didn’t bother Reyes in the slightest.

“When I was in the dugout already,” Reyes said. “Too late. Sorry. Didn’t hurt me.”

Reyes’ home run was the continuation of his recent hot stretch since returning from the injured list after missing six weeks with an oblique injury. In his last nine games entering Sunday, Reyes is slashing .324/.359/.676 with four home runs. Reyes attributes his not missing a beat to maintaining an emphasis on timing, standing in the batter’s box while pitchers threw their side sessions during his rehab stint in the Minors.

“That was the most important thing I made sure the team helped me with on my injury,” Reyes said. “No matter how much I swing, if my timing is off, I won’t be able to do much. Let’s make sure that my timing is back before I start doing all those things.”

Before Reyes launched a ball into some of the most expensive seats in the venue, he went through his walk-up routine, tapping his feet with his bat eight times. Following the game, Reyes explained the symbolism, saying that those foot taps are dedicated to his five children, his wife, his mother and his father.

“Every hit that I put in my foot is about my family,” Reyes said.

Quantrill returns to Bay Area
For Quantrill, who was born in Port Hope, Ontario, Saturday’s outing wasn’t a homecoming. What it was, then, was an opportunity to come back to the region that served as the backdrop to his early years of adulthood.

The Stanford alumnus made his first Major League start in the Bay Area on Saturday and grinded out five innings of one-run ball, pitching once again in the area where he blossomed into a first-round pick.

“I really like the Bay Area,” Quantrill said. “It’s got a special place in my heart.”

There is a tad bit of humor in Quantrill’s first name, Cal, also being the name of Stanford’s rival. Quantrill didn’t realize the degree of the Bay Area rivalry until he saw signs around the time of the Big Game, Cal and Stanford’s annual football rivalry game, that said ‘Cal Sucks.’

“Not ideal, but that’s all right,” Quantrill said. "It made beating them even better.”

Along with having a connection to the region, Quantrill also had a connection with the skipper in the opposing dugout.

On July 4, 1993, Paul Quantrill, Cal’s father, threw the only complete game of his career, shutting out a Mariners lineup that featured Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner and Tino Martinez. The elder Quantrill’s catcher that day? A’s manager Bob Melvin.

“I don’t want to say it makes me feel like I’m old, but it does a little,” Melvin said.

“I love both of our catchers, but maybe next time we’ll have Melvin come out and catch,” the younger Quantrill said.