Jesse Winker avoids the tag with a crazy slide, a breakdown
What Happened
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker steps up to the plate in the top of the 8th inning, with his team trailing by one run. He works a tough at-bat against the opposing pitcher, fouling off several pitches before finally ripping a line drive into center field. As Winker rounds first base and heads towards second, the center fielder quickly scoops up the ball and fires it to the third baseman. Winker is now in a race to avoid the tag and reach third base safely. He executes an incredible slide, stopping his momentum early and then popping up to avoid the tag, landing safely on the bag. The New York Yankees third baseman is stunned, unable to apply the tag in time. The Reds' third base coach excitedly tells Winker "You're safe! One out, runner on third, let's score some runs!" Winker's teammates on the Reds' bench erupt in celebration, impressed by the veteran's slick slide. "That was some ninja stuff, you can't practice that," one player remarks. "That's one of the cooler plays in baseball, it doesn't get talked about enough," another adds. Reds manager David Bell praises Winker, calling him a "bit of a goober" - an affectionate term for the outfielder's quirky, fun-loving personality. Bell knows that with Winker now in scoring position, the Reds have a prime opportunity to tie or take the lead late in this closely contested game. As the next batter, Joey Votto, steps up, the Reds are optimistic they can capitalize on Winker's heads-up baserunning. "Now just strikeout Votto and then I'll just strike out Suarez," the Yankees third baseman says, acknowledging the tough task ahead to shut down the Reds' potent lineup. Winker's daring slide has provided a much-needed spark for the Reds and their fans are eagerly awaiting to see if they can turn this momentum into a crucial late-inning comeback victory against their AL East rivals.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentJesse Winker had one of the more fun
plays you can have on a baseball field
first it takes that one oak curveball
and slaps it in the center field came
kind of takes the batter out but I don't
think so I think that ball just scooted
faster than it should and he scoots to
3rd the throw beats him but he does the
stop early pop-up dive over reverse
tabletop you good yeah I'm good
hold on we're gonna take a look at this
we're gonna take a look you are
oh was I safe put the headphones on
New York what do you got to say look at
this he was safe avoiding the tags one
of the cooler plays in baseball it
doesn't get talked about enough I feel
like feel like you give me a homerun
montage that's cool I'd much rather
watch and avoiding the tag montage
that's some ninja you cannot
practice that that's just some weird
athletic reactions and ability and he's
safe he's like a running man running men
tab manager says he's a bit of a goober
yeah yeah
there's your best slide ever third-base
coach says one out runner on third we're
scoring baby let's do this Nelson says
now just strikeout Votto and then I'll
just strike out Suarez cool slide though
man I'm glad you had a lot of fun with
that glad you wasted you replay but zero
runs were scored