Elvis Andrus steals home in win over Padres
Opposing pitchers take note: Do not fall asleep when Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus is on the bases. San Diego Padres reliever Kevin Quackenbush did not take heed of this warning Tuesday, and he paid for it dearly.
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With his team already up 7-4, Andrus reached third base with two outs in the seventh inning. He must have really wanted to extend the lead, because he took it upon himself to score another run.
Quackenbush got set on the mound, but apparently forgot about Andrus over at third. Noticing this, Andrus broke for the plate. Andrus made it more than halfway to home before Quackenbush finally reacted to what was happening.
Given Andrus’ speed, it’s no surprise Quackenbush was a bit flustered when he saw the shortstop charging towards home. A good throw may have resulted in an out, but Quackenbush’s toss wound up on the first base side of home plate.
Catcher Austin Hedges snagged the ball and turned to tag Andrus, but it was already too late. Andrus beat the tag, pulling off the incredible steal of home.
It was the first time since 2000 that the Rangers pulled off the feat.
Amazingly, Andrus last stole home in 2013. That came on the back of a double steal, so it’s not as impressive, but still it’s pretty cool.
We know it was late, Kevin Quackenbush, but you can’t try to catch some Zs with Elvis Andrus on the bases. If you are going to take a quick nap on the mound, it’s much safer to do so with a catcher out there.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
