Rockies' Ben Paulsen redeems himself with walk-off hit after costly gaffe (VIDEO)
Colorado Rockies first baseman Ben Paulsen experienced a range of emotions on Monday, ultimately ending with joyful relief.
His night began with grief and regret.
With one out in the fifth inning with runners on second and third, Paulsen scooped up a grounder, stepped on first base and began jogging toward the Rockies dugout.
Paulsen's confusion on how many outs there were allowed the Texas Rangers to score an extra run than they would have otherwise scored on the play, which padded the Rangers' lead to 7-5.
"We talked about [focus] today," manager Walt Weiss said. "But Benny's a high baseball IQ guy."
Having committed a costly error earlier in the game, Paulsen had a chance for redemption in the ninth with runners in scoring position and the score tied, 7-7.
Enter, relief and delight.
With the game in the balance, Paulsen roped a line-drive RBI single into left center, winning the game for the Rockies in walk-off fashion.
"When you make bonehead plays like that, you've just got to forget about it and keep going," said Paulsen, said. "It's funny how it worked out."
Paulsen's game-winner was the first walk-off hit of his career.
It's safe to say Monday was a game he'll never forget. For a variety of reasons.
(h/t MLB.com)
