Several things have to go just right for a batter to successfully get a hit in the major leagues as it is, but Hunter Pence got the Rube Goldberg machine of hits earlier today. Ignoring those basic steps like pitch recognition, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination, let's skip right ahead to the added degrees of difficulty.First, he had to let go of the bat in such a way that it still hit the ball flush enough to get some pace behind it. Then, the pitcher had to spazz out because of the flying bat. Finally, the ball had to hit second base and bounce over the otherwise perfectly positioned shortstop. The shadow of the ball on Chris Owings's back as it flies over him is an oddly cinematic touch. Even if he hadn't driven in a run, he should have gotten a run batted in, just because.Pence still has some work to do if he wants to one-up Todd Frazier, though. He hit a damned home run by throwing his bat at the pitch.[MLB]