The Boston Red Sox offered us some must-see TV on Monday afternoon, courtesy of third baseman and slugger Rafael Devers.
In their game against the Minnesota Twins, Devers was running on first and a loud drive to left field was hit.
He went from first to third and managed to beat the throw and be called safe.
More than beating the throw, however, he avoided the tag, because the throw was very much on time to get him out.
Here is the play:
Rafael Devers with a WILD swim move! pic.twitter.com/DhVTkmzYQf
— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2022
It was, indeed, a wild swim move: he looked like a swimmer out there, moving his arms to avoid being tagged out by third baseman Gio Urshela.
The throw by the left fielder was perfect, but Urshela was slightly in front of the base and may not have had a real chance at tagging him.
When Devers slid over the base, however, it was the perfect time for Urshela to tag.
Devers Outsmarted Urshela
He couldn’t do it, however, thanks to Devers’ smart arm movement.
Devers is not as a slow as he may seem, and he actually hustled his way into third base with his legs, arms, and smarts.
During his MLB career, he still hasn’t had a season with a negative baserunning grade, per FanGraphs.
He is not an avid base-stealer, but he can move his legs rather fast for someone his size.
He is a feared slugger and will have the responsibility of leading Boston to the postseason again.
Last year, he slashed .279/.352/.538 with 38 home runs and 113 RBI.
He is off to a fast start this year, too, with a .368/.385/.605 line and two round-trippers.
He is known as a run-producer, but on Monday, looked like a plus base runner.
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