Superman is well known for his ability to be more powerful than a locomotive. White Sox outfielder Courtney Hawkins didn’t go that far, but his home run from Sunday’s game was nearly as impressive.
With his team up 7-1 in the sixth inning, Hawkins launched his fifth home run of the season out to left for a two-run shot. The game was being played in Montgomery, where trains routinely pass by behind the stadium.
Hawkins’ home run came at just the right moment. The ball bounced off the top of a moving train out in left.
This isn’t the first time something like has happened at the stadium. While the accomplishment is impressive, Hawkins may be getting a raw deal here, according to Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
Biscuits official scorer Brian Wilson has been attending games at the ballpark for about eight years, first as a fan. He added a further element to the tale.
“I’m gonna tell you everything I know about baseballs hitting freight trains in Montgomery, Alabama,” Wilson said. “When Montgomery first got a team, the mayor at that point, Bobby Bright, offered $1,000 to any Montgomery Biscuits player that hit a train. There was one in the first year and one in the second year, and that was the last time I’d heard of that.
“I’ve come to a lot of Biscuits games over the last seven or eight years and this is the first one I’ve ever seen hit a train. And it was a long train, it had been going a while. I wish I could tell you that it took a mammoth 600-foot shot to hit it, but really, it was just good timing.”
Bright served as Montgomery mayor from 1999-2009 and made the offer in 2004 when the franchise relocated from Orlando, Florida. It’s not known whether current Mayor Todd Strange has a similar deal for Biscuits or visiting players.
Hawkins said he heard about the contest after getting back to the dugout, but said he would likely give the money to charity if it still exists.
The 21-year-old Hawkins entered the season as the team’s ninth-best prospect according to MLB.com. He’s shown some improvement thus far, hitting .255/.325/.491, with five home runs.
For now, Hawkins has shown he at least has enough power to put a dent in a locomotive, and that’s impressive. Next up, we’ll have to determine whether he’s faster than a speeding bullet, or can leap over a building in a single bound.
