There’s little doubt that baseball is often the weirdest and quirkiest of America’s most popular sports.
One wrong bounce or simple mental error can unleash total chaos and create viral moments many will never forget.
And this high school baseball player just pulled off one of the most mind-blowingly bizarre plays in the history of the sport.
Baseball fans couldn’t believe their eyes
Although professional baseball has barely gotten through a third of the season, many high school baseball seasons are now wrapping up with playoffs in full-swing.
And recently in Ohio, a once-in-a-lifetime play occurred during a late-season regional matchup between Marion Local and Fort Recovery.
The bizarre play began when Fort Recovery Caden Grisez stepped up to the plate in the top of the 6th inning with one out and no runners on.
On the first pitch, Grisez sent a weak blooper into shallow left-center field, falling just out of reach of Marion Local’s shortstop, left fielder, and center fielder, who were all hustling to make the play.
As the ball fell to the grass in between the fielders, Marion center fielder Griffin Burns scooped up the ball, and began to throw it in to end the play.
However, as he looked to throw the ball to the second baseman, it became clear that no one was actually covering second, giving the batter essentially a free pass to nab an extra base off his single.
And that’s when things really turned chaotic.
As the Fort Recovery runner took second base, Marion Local’s third baseman panicked and proceeded to leave his post to try to cover second – albeit far too late.
That move, of course, left third base wide open, giving the Fort Recovery runner yet another clear path to yet another extra base.
At this point, Burns – who was still trying to figure out where exactly he was supposed to throw the ball with the team’s in-field in chaos – began simply running the ball in himself.
But as he did, he realized that with the Fort Recovery runner making his way to a wide-open third base, Marion Local’s catcher had also seemingly panicked in the moment, leaving home plate wide open to cover third.
With the runner once again seeing a clear path to an extra base – not to mention a crucial run – Burns was left with no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
Despite having to cover nearly twice as long a distance as the Fort Collins runner rounding third and heading for home, the Marion Local center fielder gave it everything he had to catch up with the runner before he slid into the plate.
And right as the runner went to complete his improbable sprint around the bases, Burns dove head first towards home, landing the tag on the runner just before he touched home.
Have you ever seen a center fielder tag someone out at home plate? Well here you go! pic.twitter.com/MORPFxt5Tp
— WOSN Sports (@WOSNScores) May 25, 2024
Not only did Burns give his team a much-needed out – they were trailing 11-3 at the time – but he also pulled off a play most every baseball fan has never, ever seen in a game.
The play is officially scored as a triple with an 8-unassisted putout, meaning the centerfielder made the putout at home plate without any assistance from another defender – a play some have suggested has never even occurred in nearly 150 years of Major League Baseball.
At the end of the day, Fort Recovery held onto their lead, winning the division and advancing to Ohio’s Division 4 regional semifinals.
The shocking play out of Ohio demonstrates the thrilling nature of baseball
This outstanding play out of Ohio shows that anything can happen in the game of baseball.
Plays like this demonstrate the unpredictable and historical nature of baseball, which has entertained Americans for almost two centuries.
Unfortunately, many of today’s iPad-addicted children refuse to go outside and play sports like baseball.
If parents want to teach their children important life values, while having fun and meeting friends along the way, baseball is a good place to start.
US Political Daily will keep you updated on any developments to this ongoing story.
