When your walk-off HR wins a title, this is how you run the bases

January 31st, 2023

Here’s a walk-off home run and celebration that is an absolute must-see, courtesy of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League and Rockies infielder Harold Castro.

His 11th-inning homer in Game 6 of the Final Series handed the Leones del Caracas their 21st league title in Monday's 7-6 win over Tiburones de La Guaira, setting off a wild scene inside Estadio Universitario in Caracas, Venezuela.

Castro intently watched the ball's entire flight down the right-field line from home plate, and then began pounding his chest and leaping sideways toward first base while the home fans erupted in joy at his title-clinching dinger.

The best part of Castro’s trek around the bases was arguably when he came to a full stop near third base just so he could stand in glory and shout toward his adoring public. He soaked in every second of his triumph. Castro was congratulated by teammates -- and the team’s lion mascot -- for the full 90-foot trip from third base to home, where he was immediately engulfed by the rest of his team.

The victory not only gave Leones del Caracas their first league title since 2009-10, but it also earned them the right to represent their nation in the 2023 Caribbean Series, which begins Thursday and runs through Feb. 10 in Venezuela.