Braves first baseman records unassisted double play — at third base
The bizarre world that is MLB spring training featured another wildly absurd play on Saturday afternoon. Atlanta Braves first baseman Joey Terdoslavich recorded an unassisted double play, which by itself is not unusual. However, the fact it occurred on the opposite side of the infield isn’t only unusual, it’s downright wacky.
It happened in the seventh inning of Atlanta’s 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals had runners at first and third with nobody out when Kolten Wong hit a soft chopper that brought Terdoslavich charging down the first base line.
At that point, Terdoslavich could have — and under usual circumstances probably should have — tagged Wong for easy first out, but instead turned his focus Yadier Molina. That decision paid off better than even he likely imagined during that split second. Terdoslavich chased the slow-footed Molina back to the bag, applying the tag just before he could dive back in. A half-second later, Dean Anna, who started the play on first base, slid in as well, and Terdoslavich lunged to tag him out as well.
Get out those spring training scorebooks, folks. On Friday night we had a 4-6 putout aided by the catwalk at the Alamodome, as well as four triples in one inning by the Los Angeles Angels. Here, we have a 3-unassisted double play that will require an asterisk and a lengthy explanation.
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It was a nice hustle play by the 26-year-old Terdoslavich, who’s hoping to make the team in a backup role this season. He’s an outfielder by trade, but is spending time at first base in an effort to expand his versatility. Plays like this will certainly open eyes, though the idea wasn’t without risk. If that lead runner isn’t Yadier Molina and he manages to gets back safely, it’s bases loaded and nobody out, setting up a potentially big inning.
Perhaps it’s a risk Terdoslavich wouldn’t have taken with another runner. In that case, hat tip to him for staying alert and aware of the situation. Either way, it was a risky play. But with risk comes reward, and in this case, he struck gold.
BLS H/N: Deadspin
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
