The New York Mets acquired Javy Báez in a trade with the Chicago Cubs last week, and the star infielder hasn’t taken long to show why he earned the nickname “El Mago.”
The Mets led the Miami Marlins 1-0 in the second inning on Wednesday night, with Báez on third base. New York’s Tomás Nido hit a hard groundball to Miami Jesús Aguilar, and the first baseman went home with the throw, which beat Báez by several feet
But El Mago went with a perfectly-executed swim move to avoid the tag from Marlins catcher Alex Jackson, giving the Mets a 2-0 lead.
JAVY BAEZ SLIDE MAGIC 🎩 pic.twitter.com/IfzvzoKyy6
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 4, 2021
Look at how far Báez is from the plate while Jackson is ready for the tag.
That would be an unbelievable play for just about anybody else, but it’s routine stuff from Báez. And that’s why he’s one of the most entertaining players in the sport.
Update: Báez later showed what he could do with the bat, cranking a go-ahead opposite-field homer in the eighth inning.
.@javy23baez for the lead! pic.twitter.com/IGA6RWKRlA
— MLB (@MLB) August 5, 2021
Related: Javy Báez crushes home run in Mets debut, which New York wins in walk-off fashion
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.