When you look at the box score from tonight's Tigers/A's game, you'll see that Victor Martinez scored the Tigers' first run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a fielding error by A's first baseman Connor Jackson. However, the box score won't tell you that Martinez scored from first base and he had to display some bait and switch at home plate to avoid catcher Kurt Suzuki's tag. It wasn't a Superman leap over the catcher, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
↵↵↵What happened was the human windmill Gene Lamont ill-advisedly waved Martinez home, right into what was sure to be an easy tag applied to a still-standing Martinez to end the inning. Luckily, Suzuki didn't realize how much time he was going to have, so as soon as he caught the ball he lunged back toward what he thought would be a sliding Martinez. Instead, Martinez was still on his feet, had the presence of mind to stay on his feet and side-stepped the tag.
↵As Suzuki struggled to get to his feet/unsuccessfully flailed his glove at Martinez, Martinez was able to deke once more and sneakily reach his left hand through Suzuki's open arms to touch home before Suzuki finally slapped his glove on him. Safe was the (right) call. Martinez violently fist-pumped. And color analyst Rod Allen shrieked incoherently. It was all pretty awesome.
↵You should really watch it (video of the play can be found at MLB.com).
↵
(Via Jeff Sullivan)
