Cubs shortstop Javier “El Mago” Baez is known for his magic on the baseball diamond, but he took it to an entirely new level Thursday.
In one of the wildest plays you’ll ever seen, Baez tricked the Pirates on what should’ve been a routine inning-ending groundout by turning around and running back toward home plate when Pittsburgh first baseman Will Craig went to tag him after the throw was slightly off line. Craig got increasingly confused as he pursued Baez back toward home plate and Cubs catcher Willson Contreras kept running from second base to home. Craig decided to toss the ball home to prevent Contreras from scoring, but he was too late, and that allowed Baez to scamper off to first. Check it out below.
Baez was ruled to have reached on a fielder’s choice and to have taken second base on a throwing error. The Cubs led 3-0 after the conclusion of the top of the third inning.
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