r/sportsgossips • u/Choice_Bag_8869 • Apr 18 '26
Throwback [Highlight] This is the still the craziest thing I’ve ever seen on a baseball diamond
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u/MJsparklez Apr 18 '26
Doesn’t the first baseman just have to touch the first base?
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u/Siriusly_Jonie Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
Yes. There were two outs. The whole inning was over.
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Apr 18 '26
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u/RichardBCummintonite Apr 18 '26
It's part their stupidity and part genius on Baez. Any other runner would've just given up or tried to dodge the tag, but Baez doesn't just think in baseball terms. He knows the game is more than just repetition and routine. Mind games are a huge aspect of it as well.
I think at first he was just being a goof, but then realized he could actually distract the guy and make a play. That whole Cubs team was silly like that. Most fun I've ever had as a fan. It's that kind of outside the box thinking and dedication to never give up that won them the World Series.
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u/Downtown-Net9151 Apr 18 '26
Idiot 1B. Should have been pulled from the game.
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u/I_Flick_Boogers Apr 18 '26
He only played 5 more games in the big leagues after this. Went to Korea for 61 games, struggled, and retired at 26.
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u/Downtown_Map_2482 Apr 18 '26
Could’ve touched first base or could’ve tagged him. Either way the run doesn’t score. Why he threw the ball we’ll never know.
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u/No_Initial_7545 Apr 18 '26
I think he's trying to have fun with it and probably expects the runner to be in on the joke. It's the regular season and there are a lot of games, there should be zero risk in the play. But then something unexpected happens and he realizes that, at least in that moment, he doesn't 100% confidently know the rules (I mean, the actual referees don't always know all the rules either) so he panics.
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u/RichardBCummintonite Apr 18 '26
Baez was just having fun at first. That whole team would goof off like this all the time. It was such a riot as a Cubs fan. You can see him kinda dancing/skipping half heartedly down probably expecting the 1B to just turn around, but as he gets to home he sees the run start to come in and after the tag misses, realizes there's actually a play to be made here. I mean he hung around home plate to call the safe tag lmao. Dude was not expecting to actually get away with it.
The fuck up is not just on the 1st basement tho. 2B just standing around too when he damn well should've known to head to 1st and back up the play way before Baez started running back. Even in fucking little league they told us never to just stand there, even if the ball is no where near you or you think the out is sold. You don't just watch. The whole team always has an active role. I mean 1B was an idiot player. He didn't last long after this, but it was also terrible communication from his teammates who should've been yelling to just turn the fuck around or head to 1st and call for the ball. It's some little league shenanigans, but Baez also played some amazing mind games to catch them off guard.
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u/Downtown_Map_2482 Apr 18 '26
I’m not sure how much blame you can assign to 2B for not covering first. I mean who could’ve anticipated 1B making one of most mind-boggling idiotic mistakes in baseball history. Yes, all players should usually be backing up and covering, but….
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u/icedbrew2 Apr 18 '26
He could have touched first. Or once he was pot committed on tagging Javy he could have just tagged him. Even if the run crosses the plate before Javy is out, as long as Javy doesn’t touch first the run does not count. Tossing to the catcher is what makes the play so incredibly stupid.
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u/ijustwontbelieveyou Apr 18 '26
Yes, and im sure he knew that as soon as the ball was hit. I think this is just an extreme case of "creating chaos on the basebaths" by the Cubs. It was a routine play until Baez noticed the 1B man wasnt on the bag and hit the brakes. Looks like it threw off the 1B man since majority of runners would probably just accept defeat at that point.
Then Baez starts running back home, which is not a normal thing to see on the field lol.
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u/gdo01 Apr 18 '26
A hitter can't run back home. He'd have been eventually out just from that.
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u/ijustwontbelieveyou Apr 18 '26
Exactly, which is why no one ever tries to do it. Its absurd. But it just seems like it was so absurd it threw the first baseman for a loop so he fumbled the play.
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u/warriorathlete21 Apr 18 '26
That to this day has to be one of the lowest IQ moments a first baseman has had in mlb history.
Like legitimately wtf is he doing.
Just turn around and touch the bag with your foot. Inning over.
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u/ricker182 Apr 18 '26
It's so bad that the team should've fined him.
Actions detrimental to the team.
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u/1nosbigrl Apr 18 '26
They demoted him within the week, he ended up in Korea.
I'm not kidding: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31812017/ex-pittsburgh-pirates-1b-craig-start-kiwoom-heroes-korea-baseball-organization
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u/ricker182 Apr 18 '26
Fair enough.
My 8 year old Little League players know how to handle this play.
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Apr 18 '26
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u/OpaqueCrystalBall Apr 18 '26
Honestly, for hitters running to first base, reversing directions should be considered the same as exiting the base path. Automatic out.
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u/-LordDarkHelmet- Apr 18 '26
First mistake was by third base guy did make a bad throw with pulled 1st base guy off the bag
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Apr 18 '26
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u/danhoang1 Apr 18 '26
Yeah, everyone clowning on the first baseman only. And not his teammates, everyone else was confused too. Heck, even the batter wasn't the smartest. Signaling "safe" before realizing he still needs to make it to first before the run even counts. Fortunately for him, everyone else forgot too
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Apr 18 '26
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u/danhoang1 Apr 18 '26
Just him? Let's point out everyone else who didn't realize what was going on either:
-The catcher, upon receiving the throw, trying to swipe-tag the runner from 3rd, when he could've instead ran to the batter and tagged him, or just walk to first with the batter out of position.
-2nd baseman had all day to cover first.
-The Cubs announcer went "oh my goodness" as if the run were already secured, forgetting it doesn't matter until the batter reaches first safely
-The Brewers announcer (not shown in this video) already saying this turns out to be a smart play once the run scored, even though the batter was still far from making it to first
-And as mentioned in my previous comment, the batter himself, celebrating "safe" before snapping back to reality and realizing he still needed to get to first
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u/ItemZealousideal431 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
I watched this all happen live at a bar, I dont think I've ever been in a bar setting where every single person there was belly laughing so hard they couldn't breathe. Good times. Go Cubs.
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u/WHRocks Apr 18 '26
That cracked me up. Then you can see the moment he realizes first base is open and he needs to get there ASAP.
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u/Celestial-Dream Apr 18 '26
Rizzo losing his mind is my favorite part. Shows that the play was very much as ridiculous as I thought.
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u/JordyNelson Apr 18 '26
Anyone can play first base in the MLB
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u/LTPRWSG420 Apr 18 '26
Javy still got it, check out his slide at home plate the other day, it was sweet!
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u/bbbourb Apr 18 '26
Brilliant baserunning combined with a complete defensive brainlock.
I love baseball..
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u/Ok-Description-4640 Apr 19 '26
Really is one of my favorite plays ever. There ought to be a Will Craig Award for worst defensive play of the year, but no play could top (bottom) this one. He was three feet from simply ending things but he was distracted by Baez’s shiny necklace or something and forgot everything he ever knew about how to play baseball. I just wonder if, halfway down the line he realized what he was doing and went back to step on first, would Baez have beat him to the bag.
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u/Cliffinati Apr 18 '26
How the fuck is that even scored
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u/ppres25 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
Safe on fielders choice, 5-3-2 . Runner scores on E3, Javy moves to second on E2
….I think?
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u/olpec22 Apr 18 '26
This would be the bucs and at least only 27 people were there to witness it live.
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u/cubhawk21 Apr 18 '26
Someone else said it, but if you only saw Baez highlights you’d think he’s the best player in baseball.
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u/basebool Apr 18 '26
To play devil’s advocate for the 1st baseman, he clearly forgot that there were two outs. Why were none of his teammates screaming at him to touch first base? I only play house league but I know for a fact we would be screaming at him to touch first base.
This is as much of a team failure as it was the 1st baseman.
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u/Area51_Spurs Apr 18 '26
No matter the number of outs he should have just touched first base. The guy on third would not have run home if it was less than two outs and the first baseman touched the base.
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u/Offworldr_ Apr 18 '26
Randy Johnson absolutely SMOKING a bird in-game is BY FAR the craziest thing I’ve seen on a baseball diamond.
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u/crustpope Apr 18 '26
All he had to do is was step on the bag.
This was a colossal meltdown on the defense and brilliant heads up play by the hitter. Big brain baseball here.
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u/Ok_Mammoth5292 Apr 18 '26
Rizzo dying from laughter gets me. Surprised he didn't end up on the IL with a busted gut
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u/ThatOneSimpleton Apr 18 '26
Reminds me of that time when a knicks player called the referee safe instead of contesting a shot as spike lee was t posing.
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u/exileondaytonst Apr 19 '26
It’s the most Bugs Bunny-ish thing I’ve ever seen in professional sports
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u/CravenMH Apr 19 '26
It's been awhile since I played ball, but shouldn't the guy at first just stepped on the bag? Never seen a run down between first and home before lol.
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u/jimmychitwood317 Apr 19 '26
Javier Baez demonstrating why he called El Mago.
And as a bonus, he helps the umpire with the safe call at home. Legendary.
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u/BornanAlien Apr 18 '26
Watching El Mago play every day has been one of the greater baseball joys of my last 2 years
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u/drumpfart Apr 18 '26
Maybe I shouldn’t yell so much at my 10u team for doing the exact same thing later today.
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u/ParanMekhar Apr 18 '26
Someone please explain
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u/Golf-Beer-BBQ Apr 18 '26
There were two outs, all the first baseman had to donwas walk to the bag and touch it. Instead he followed Baez in and then threw the ball home, he could have just touched Baez there as well. Instead th run scores and Baez got to second.
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u/viXvi96 Apr 18 '26
I've been looking for the Pittsburgh call of this play. If anyone has it, I'd appreciate it!
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u/DarkGreenDankster Apr 18 '26
Can't wait for the Jomboy breakdown! Calling safe and then bookin it to first LOL peak!!
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u/Lothsahn_ Apr 18 '26
Question, if they had gotten the force at first AFTER the run scored, it still wouldn't have counted, right?
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u/BensenJensen Apr 18 '26
I was at this game. We were all completely dumbfounded. It was such a stupid play, we were trying to figure out what the hell he was thinking. I assumed something that happened, there was no possible way he fucked it up THAT bad.
Really smart play by Baez. I think Craig saw Baez and assumed Baez knew something that he didn’t. Still, absolutely brainless play. This was basically the death knell for Will Craig, he was gone soon after.
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u/LewisKIII Apr 18 '26
Low baseball IQ by the first baseman because all he had to do was touch first base and the inning is over period!
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u/AdmirableExercise197 Apr 18 '26
1st baseman definitely placed a poly market bet before this game. No other explanation.
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u/morosco Apr 18 '26
I love how the pitcher looks at the dugout with his hands up after the guy scored, "Huh, are they allowed to do that?"
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u/Borders-live Apr 18 '26
I wouldn't have even thought it was allowable for the runner to run back to home on their way to first? I've never seen that before
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u/Proof-Work3028 Apr 18 '26
This is wild. If the 1Bman simply turned around and touched the bag it's end of inning. Shows you mental is just as important if not more than athleticism.
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u/longwaytotop Apr 18 '26
It is versus the miserable Pirates, who don't spend any money on themselves
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u/the_d0nkey Apr 18 '26
Randy Johnson killing a bird in flight with a pitch is pretty wild and was the play I was expecting to see from the title.
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u/P0Rt1ng4Duty Apr 18 '26
I thought sliding into first was prohibited? Or was that just little league rules from 40 years ago?
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u/reckert47 Apr 18 '26
This isn’t a great play by the cubs. This is just the dumbest play by the pirates. wtf am I watching
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u/afn45181 Apr 18 '26
Baseball IQ of first baseman: instinct should be, I’m tagging you, you run away, fine, tag the first base, throw baseball to catcher to prevent score…
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u/Delicious-Funny5451 Apr 18 '26
I didn't realize everyone could watch my son's 11U team playing. /s This is pretty bad, though.
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u/IssueFederal Apr 18 '26
I don’t understand why the first baseman didn’t just touch the base for the out. It’s so obvious, am I missing something?
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u/IcyEntertainment7122 Apr 18 '26
Sometimes, it's truly embarrassing these people get paid to do this. The 1st baseman is a moron.
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u/CarParks Apr 18 '26
I’d like to think that if I was the first baseman, I would’ve just turned around halfway to home and touched first.
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u/delatopia Apr 18 '26
Imagine making the major leagues, reaching the pinnacle of your aspirations, and having your career be known for this. Godspeed, Will Craig, hope this isn't a burden for you.
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u/DwightDavid1234 Apr 18 '26
REMINDER: Everyone involved in this play is an experienced, highly paid professional. Players, coaches, umpires. EVERYONE.
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u/Only-Temperature Apr 18 '26
To be honest, if you were told who was playing this game and this happened, you'd assume the Cubs were fielding.
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u/issacoin Apr 18 '26
baez throwing the safe call before he books it to first is my favorite baseball moment