Czech this out! OF slides through fence on nifty grab

Tomas Chadim puts the “fence” in “defense.”

During a game Wednesday between the Czech Republic and the Netherlands at the U-23 Baseball European Championship 2023, Chadim made a defensive play that will be hard -- not to mention painful -- to replicate.

In the fifth inning in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, with the score tied at 1, the Czech right fielder raced to his left in hot pursuit of a fly ball down the foul line. Chadim slid to make a nifty grab just in front of the metal fence along the edge of the field. Unfortunately for him, he kept right on going.

The force of the impact ripped a hole through the fence, sending Chadim’s upper body through; only his legs remained visible on the field of play. Visibly shaken up, Chadim was pulled back through the fence, helped to his feet and removed from the game.

A 22-year-old who plays for the Draci Brno club team in Brno, Czech Republic, Chadim is the son of Czech National Team manager Pavel Chadim. While the Netherlands went on to win the game, 2-1, neither father nor son will soon forget Tomas’ memorable -- albeit uncomfortable -- play.