Mike Trout pulls off slick stolen base with acrobatic slide
Within the realm of baseball, there’s nothing the athletically-gifted and multi-talented Mike Trout can’t do.
He’s a five-tool player, with speed, power, an ability to hit for average, a rocket for a right arm and defensive skills matched by very few in the game today.
But his game is more about than just those measurable tools. He has instincts that allow him to make some of the most difficult plays you’ll see look routine, and an ability to adjust during an at-bat to gain the upper hand.
In fact, as we learned on Friday, he even has the instincts and ability to react and adjust in the middle of a slide, which allowed to pull off perhaps the slide and steal of the season in Boston.
Take a look:
After driving in the go-ahead runs with a single followed by a Red Sox error, Trout aimed to keep the pressure on by stealing third. Catcher Blake Swihart had him dead to rights with a great throw, but Trout was able to use the old swim move to avoid the initial tag attempt.
That was only one step, however. With his upper body momentum carrying him away from the bag, Trout had to hook the bag with his foot and keep it there as Brock Holt recovered and applied the tag. Amazingly, Trout was able to pull that off, and despite being originally ruled out on the field, replay conclusively proved he avoided the tag.
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The slide itself and the ensuing replay proved critical, as one batter later Trout was singled home by Kole Calhoun for the Angels third run in the inning. Also aided by a Rusney Castillo dropped fly ball, the Angels would go on to score six more run in the inning to open an 11-3 lead.
Trout had two hits in the frame alone.
Garrett Richards, who suffered gruesome season-ending knee injury in the Angels last visit to Fenway Park last season, is in line for the victory.
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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
