Michael Taylor gets revenge on Phillies with inside-the-park grand slam

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor

It may have taken him two years, but Michael Taylor finally got revenge on the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Washington Nationals outfielder lit up the crowd during Friday’s game against Philadelphia when he stepped up with the bases loaded in the third inning, hit a rocket over center fielder Odudel Herrera’s head and then raced around the bases for an inside-the-park grand slam.

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It was the first inside-the-park slam in MLB since Sept. 25, 2015, when Aaron Altherr of the Phillies did it against Washington. The fielder who dove for and missed the ball in center field, allowing Altherr to round the bases and crush the Nationals playoff hopes? That would be Michael Taylor.

Indeed, baseball has a funny way of bringing things full circle, and there’s perhaps no better example than what happened here.

Taylor definitely needed the assistance of Herrera. Though smoked at 106 mph off the bat, it’s a ball that should have been caught for the second out of the inning and a sacrifice fly at worst.

Herrera only made matters worse by not hustling after the ball or making an urgent throw back in. His misplay and effort together is what opened the door for Taylor to keep running, and keep running he did.

We’re guessing this is a play that will be outwardly hated by Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. He’s been to known to bench and/or fine players for lack of effort or repeated fundamental mistakes. This safely falls under the former category.

The Phillies are playing out the string after being the first team eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday. Despite the additions of a few promising prospects, the last few weeks are not expected to go well. If this play is any indication of how things will go, then they might as well pack it in now.

Washington Nationals outfielder Michael Taylor slides home on his inside-the-park-grand slam against the Phillies. (AP)
Washington Nationals outfielder Michael Taylor slides home on his inside-the-park-grand slam against the Phillies. (AP)

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!