When there’s a bang-bang play at the plate, baserunners have a split-second to decide if they’re going to slide around the catcher’s tag or plow through him to dislodge the ball.
Chris Heisey added a third option: slide right into the catcher’s tag for no reason.
The Reds outfielder was on third base with no outs when Brandon Phillips hit a hard grounder to third baseman David Freese. After fielding it cleanly, Freese’s throw home was a bit up the first base line, pulling catcher Yadier Molina out of position. Rather than sliding around the play, on the third base side of the dish, Heisey opted to slide directly into Molina’s feet, well off the plate toward first base, for one of the easiest tag outs at home ever.
Check out the GIF via BusinessInsider.com.
