The 2026 MLB season has featured unexpected momentum shifts, including a strong early run by the NL Central and multiple managerial changes. On the field, inside-the-park home runs have appeared more frequently than expected, with more than five already recorded before the season’s midpoint. May alone included four inside-the-park home runs. One notable example came from JJ Wetherholt on May 8 at Petco Park, where a ball that rolled past defenders and skipped past Fernando Tatis Jr. allowed all three Cardinals runners to score and Wetherholt to reach home. That play was not officially credited as an inside-the-park home run because Tatis was charged with a fielding error, though the outcome still produced a dramatic scoring sequence.
"JJ Wetherholt signalled the start of a new era for the St. Louis Cardinals and showed off his potential from the jump. Up until the fateful at-bat during the game on May 8 at Petco Park in San Diego, he was one of the four NL rookies who had the most RBIs this season. During the top of the fifth, Wetherholt stepped into the batter's box with a 0-2 record against the Padres' Griffin Canning. But everything changed when he hit a base hit on a 1-1 count."
"The ball rolled past the first baseman and towards right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. Then it skipped past him in a matter of seconds. By the time the ball rolled to the right-field wall, all three Cardinals runners on base came home to score, and when Tatis fielded the ball, Wetherholt got home safely as well. Technically speaking, this isn't considered an official inside-the-park home run because Tatis was charged with a fielding error."
"Would you believe it if we already had more than five and we're not even halfway through the season? The month of May alone had four inside-the-park home runs, and here's how they unfolded. For that reason, inside-the-park home runs fire up everyone from fans to players. Would you believe it if we already had more than five and we're not even halfway through the season?"
Read at BlueJaysNation
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