Justin Upton's 'paint can' home run did not win $1 million for charity because of a technicality

Stephen Dunn/Getty

Los Angeles Angels fans thought they were experiencing a moment to remember during Tuesday night's game against the Cleveland Indians, but sometimes a home run is just a home run.

The Angels trailed 6-2 when Justin Upton came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning. The newly acquired left fielder wasted no time and cut into Cleveland's lead as he drilled a fastball to deep center field for his fourth home run since joining the team on August 31.

While fans were excited about Upton crossing the plate, they were even more excited by where his home run ended up. The ball took a big bounce beyond the outfield fence and landed in Angel Stadium's paint can sponsored by building materials company Sherwin Williams. The can is part of a season-long campaign to donate $1 million to the Angels Baseball Foundation for any Angels home run that finds the metal container.

Take a look at the big hit:

The unlikely blast was a lot of fun for fans, but there was just one problem: it didn't count for the charitable donation. The team said that in order for the promotion to be valid, the ball would have had to find the paint can on the fly, according to ESPN.

But while the Angels' foundation didn't benefit from it, the home run was still a big one for Upton: it was his 32nd round tripper of the season, topping his previous career high. That total puts him in a tie for ninth among American League batters.

Despite that leadoff blast, the Angels failed to reach base again, losing the game 6-3. They'll play the Indians again on Wednesday.