Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Javier Baez turned magician again, as his sleight of hand avoided the tag on a stolen base

The Cubs began their 8-4 win on Saturday against the crosstown rival White Sox in a big way, as a leadoff triple from Javier Báez keyed a four-run, first-inning rally. Kickstarting an offensive outburst would be a nice enough day for most players, but most players aren't Baez.
Since the Cubs batted around in the top of the first, Baez again led off in the second, and this time, he reached on an infield single. Then, with Anthony Rizzo at bat, he darted for second on a delayed steal.
White Sox catcher Welington Castillo's throw beat Baez in plenty of time, but Baez turned ninja to avoid Tim Anderson's tag:

That's straight-up sorcery.
Maybe we shouldn't be surprised by Baez's smooth moves -- he pulled off a similar slide playing for Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic:

When you've got it, you've got it, and Baez has got it.

BarberJordan
beephero
AP_702417634020
NYC