Matt Vierling’s Acrobatic Slide Was a Sight to Behold
Not only is Matt Vierling one of the fastest players in baseball (95th-percentile sprint speed, according to Baseball Savant), he’s apparently also capable of using acrobatics to take an extra base.
In the ninth inning of Monday’s game against the Rangers, the Tigers outfielder hit a soft liner into left that for most players would have been a safe single. Vierling didn’t play it safe, though. He turned the corner and headed for second as Ezequiel Durán prepared to throw. The throw beat Vierling to the bag by a mile, but he was safe thanks to an incredible slide. Moving at full speed, Vierling was still able to contort his body to avoid the tag from Marcus Semien.
This is Vierling’s first season with the Tigers, but he must have already picked up something from his new teammate Javier Báez, whose propensity for mind-bending slides earned him the nickname “El Mago” (The Magician). Maybe Vierling can teach Báez how to count to three.
