Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

This ricochet off the backstop resulted in the luckiest play at the plate of all time

By Jordan Shusterman

There are few more exciting plays in baseball than a close call at home plate. There are so many moving parts -- the speed of the runner attempting to score, the accuracy of the throw, the position of the catcher, among others -- that make each version of the play unique. That being said, "unique" does not even begin to describe what happened at the end of a recent Division III game between SUNY-Maritime and Plattsburgh State.

Yes, you saw that right!

Plattsburgh State's first baseman Stephen Lydon, who represented the tying run, tried to score from second base on an errant pickoff throw. He looked to have made it home in time but overslid the base a bit, allowing the catcher Jake Vera time to retrieve the ball which had ricocheted off the backstop! What was clearly one of the luckiest bounces in baseball history for SUNY-Maritime was also an epic series of unfortunate events for Lydon. Regardless of the result, we are thankful for both teams who participated in this gloriously bizarre play. Baseball never ceases to amaze.

Topics in this article:
Up Next
What do you get when you combine a block party and a baseball league?
Related
Watch an Arkansas softball player hit for the home run cycle
This outfielder flung himself over a wall to complete the best catch of the college baseball season so far
Former Players Visit Spring Training
BarberJordan
When baseball's biggest stars need a haircut, they come to José 'Jordan' López
By Matt Monagan •
beephero
Competition, joy and a little pain: Beep Baseball is a world of freedom for blind athletes
By Eric Chesterton •
AP_702417634020
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the best baseball card collections in the world thanks to one man
By Michael Clair •
NYC
Where to live in New York if you've just come into $324 million
By Matt Monagan •