CINCINNATI -- For the Reds to win in walk-off fashion by a 4-3 score over the Pirates in the 10th inning on Monday, center fielder Billy Hamilton didn't have to hit the ball hard. He just had to get it out of the infield for Arismendy Alcantara to score from second base.
Hamilton lofted reliever Daniel Hudson's 2-2 pitch over first baseman Josh Bell and into short right field. According to Statcast™, the ball came off Hamilton's bat at just 65.9 mph, which made it the Reds' softest extra-base hit this season. At 95.0 mph, Hudson's pitch was the third-fastest Hamilton has turned into a hit this year, and the fastest he's taken for extra bases.
"When I hit it, I thought, 'Josh is a tall guy over there. I hope it gets over his head,'" Hamilton said. "That's one where it's not hit hard enough, where it gets in the outfield and they have a chance to throw it home."
Sure enough, Alcantara was able to score the winning run standing up.
"I had a few good at-bats during the day so my confidence was up a little bit," said Hamilton, who came in 4-for-23 on the previous road trip and batting .213. "I wanted to be in that situation right there. I was just trying to make contact and put the ball in play. I didn't want to strike out in that situation. For me to have a chance to battle and not give up once I got to two strikes was a big deal for me. It was the key to the at-bat."