This Might Be the Most Bizarre Baseball Highlight in Years – The Wall Street Journal

“A play you’ve never seen before,” raved ESPN.

“Dumbest baseball play of the season,” grumbled Yahoo. 

A bizarre scene unfolded in Thursday’s MLB contest between the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates, when, with two outs in the top of the third and a Chicago runner on second, Cubs shortstop Javy Baez hit a polite grounder to third that should have brought the inning to a close. 

Instead, a Monty Python sketch ensued. Pirates third baseman Erik Gonzalez’s throw yanked first baseman Will Craig off the bag, and Craig, instead of stepping back on the base to record an easy out, began to chase a backpedaling Baez down the first baseline. That’s when Baez’s teammate Willson Contreras came barreling home, prompting Craig to toss the ball to the Pirates catcher, who missed a putout on Contreras.

Baez, whose nickname is “El Mago,” aka “The Magician,” celebrated his teammate’s score by doing the safe signal with his arms. Then, sensing his own opportunity, Baez sprinted up the baseline and got himself to an unoccupied first base, taking second after a Pittsburgh throwing error. Baez then scored on Ian Happ’s single to give Chicago a 3-0 lead. 

El Mago indeed! 

If this all sounds confusing, watch it now. It’s really something:

This being the social media era, the Baez adventure became an instant phenomenon, launching a series of remixes. My favorite is this one, imagining the play dyspeptically called by legendary White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson: 

And, of course, there was the “Yakety Sax” version:

I hate to be a killjoy, but let’s just state the uncharitable obvious: this precious slice of baseball hilarity was the byproduct of an unfortunate brain gaffe by Pittsburgh’s Craig. If the Pirates first baseman had simply stepped back on first, the inning would have been over. Even if Craig had put out Baez after Contreras had scored, the run wouldn’t have counted.  

But what fun would that have been? We should be thanking the Pirates, because we got a goofy highlight for the ages, one that reminded many baseball fans of their Little League days, or even their pre-Little League days, when the rules of the game were mere suggestions, and it was even money if a batter ran down the first baseline—or backwards down the third baseline.

Baez was humble after Chicago completed the 5-3 win. 

“I just improvise,” he said. 

“It really is a magic act,” said Cubs manager David Ross. 

For Baez, it’s an unlikely career highlight, one that might not end up in Cooperstown, but will live on in baseball brains forever. For young players, it’s a teachable moment. With two outs, always step on first and get the final out. Social media can be merciless.

Write to Jason Gay at Jason.Gay@wsj.com