Touch ‘em All Time: Hamsters, Parrots, and Cities of Clouds

For most baseball fans, if they hear the phrase "touch ‘em all", they will immediately be reminded of Joe Carter’s unforgettable home run in the 1993 World Series:

An absolute gem of a call by announcer Tom Cheek. This will live on for generations not only in the minds of Toronto fans, but baseball fans in general. However, when I hear the phrase "touch ‘em all", I think of another call. If Cheek’s call of Carter’s home run paints a vivid picture for the listener, Colorado Rockies announcer Jack Corrigan’s call of Nolan Arenado’s 40th home run in 2016 was a toddler drawing on a wall with sharpie before eating the sharpie itself. And yet, despite the awkwardness of this call, it’s still one of my favorites:

In short, regardless of whether the call is famous or infamous, home runs are awesome. There’s something truly incredible about watching a grown man smack the ever-loving snot out of a baseball into a roaring crowd. Luckily for Tribe fans, there are a lot of players on the Cleveland Indians who will give (and have, over the years, already given) us many memorable moments. But which ones are the best? It’s only been two games, but here are the home runs by the Tribe thus far.

Jose Ramirez (4/3/17 v. Yu Darvish, WPA .118)

We all know that The Angry Hamster is incredible and cannot be contained. But even I’ll admit that I did not expect him to have the first home run of the season for Cleveland. But as you can see above, as soon as the ball left Jose’s bat, there was no doubt that the ball was leaving the yard. On a 2-0 count, Darvish let his pitch sail just far enough over the heart of the plate for Ramirez to crush. Jose’s home run cut the deficit in half and set up the team for their eventual comeback. Which leads to...

Edwin Encarnacion (4/3/17 v. Matt Bush, WPA .245)

Good morning.

Here's Hammy's call of @encadwin's bomb. #RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/7xv0arEyxh

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) April 4, 2017

Remember how the Cleveland Indians had Mike Napoli last season and he hit many home runs? Well imagine that, but slightly younger and more powerful. That’s what the Cleveland Indians got when they signed Edwin Encarnacion this past offseason, and he immediately put on a show on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers. With the team within 1 run, Edwin blasted a mammoth home run in the eighth inning off of Matt Bush to tie the game at 5 runs apiece.

Carlos Santana (4/4/17 v. Martin Perez, WPA .093)

It’s one thing to have a home run that ties the game or gives you the lead. But belting an opposite field home run on the fourth pitch of the game is nothing to laugh at, and that’s just what Carlos Santana did yesterday against Martin Perez. Thanks to Lando’s trip to Cloud City early in the game, the Tribe played from in front all game and eventually got their second victory in as many games against the Texas Rangers.

So, which home run was your favorite? Vote and discuss below!