There’s something oddly therapeutic about a perfectly executed slide, a phenomenon akin to a summer breeze or the first bite of a fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookie. Nobody in baseball has mastered this skill quite like Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner, who continues to be a wizard on the base paths with his rare combination of speed and Jedi instincts.
You may recall Turner practically broke the internet with his slide against the Phillies last summer, moonwalking past catcher J.T. Realmuto like 80s era Michael Jackson. Turns out, there’s plenty more where that came from. Turner delivered the sequel Friday night, punctuating a third-inning triple off Reds hurler Vladimir Gutierrez with a breathtaking slide into third base, extending the majors’ longest active hitting streak to 26 games.
It’s only fitting that Turner brought out the big guns for Jackie Robinson Day, paying homage to one of the more daring players of his time, routinely stealing home plate, among other base-running heroics. The National League’s reigning batting champ finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and his second stolen base in a 3-1 win over Cincinnati.
It’s already been an eventful week in Dodgerland with controversy surrounding Clayton Kershaw’s early hook from manager Dave Roberts (he was six outs away from what would have been the 24th perfect game in MLB history) and Orange County native Freddie Freeman, formerly of the Atlanta Braves, making his home debut at Chavez Ravine.
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