Jayson Werth really should have been out.
With the Washington Nationals leading the Houston Astros by a run in the third inning Wednesday night, Werth, after drawing a one-out walk, took off for second base.
This in itself was no surprise, as Astros starter Scott Feldman already had allowed four (!) stolen bases in game’s first two innings. Houston seemed to have Werth dead to rights this time, though, with catcher Jason Castro’s perfect throw reaching shortstop Jose Altuve in plenty of time to nab the runner.
What the Astros weren’t prepared for, however, was what Werth called “the old Whoop-Dee-Do.” The outfielder stopped his slide just short of the bag, causing Altuve to whiff on his tag and allowing him to sneak safely into second.
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Apparently, “stop-sliding” is kind of Werth’s thing. Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post even wrote a rather extensive post about it on the newspaper’s DC Sports Bog just this week.
Werth went on to score two batters later, with his run proving crucial in a 6-5 Nationals win.
“There’s more than one way to win a game,” he said after the game, via the Post. “You can do it with your glove. You can do it with your bat. You can do it with your legs. I’m not nearly as fast as I used to be. I’m still as crafty. I didn’t get any hits tonight, but I feel like I did a lot to help my team win.”
Oh, and here’s Werth’s steal set to a DMX soundtrack, just because (via @recordsANDradio).
