How Pirates had most brilliant baserunning of MLB season, including drawing obstruction and running through 2nd base

How Pirates had most brilliant baserunning of MLB season, including drawing obstruction and running through 2nd base originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Every bit of the baserunning clinic put on by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the bottom of the second inning was brilliant.

Let’s set the scene: Bases loaded, two outs, 0-0 game. Henry Davis hits a ground ball to the third baseman to his glove side, so the throw goes for the force out at second base.

The magic starts with Brandon Lowe, who sprints straight through the base and makes the turn toward third.

Why? Because he could get there faster by not sliding. If the force happens there, the inning is over. Lowe might as well try to get his foot on the base before the ball gets there, and then just create some chaos.

That’s what he did, and even more wild stuff comes next.

Nick Gonzales was the runner who began the play on second, and he was at third by the time Lowe rounded second base. At that point, there’s nowhere for Gonzales to try and go but home.

He gets himself caught in a rundown, and he showed off his smarts. There’s actually no baseline until a fielder establishes it with the ball, so if before that the runner collides with a fielder, it’s obstruction.

Gonzales found a path to running into Rockies pitcher Jose Quintana while running toward home, and so he was awarded a run even though he was going to be out otherwise.

Check it out:

MORE: This game also had a 7-unassisted double play

The play never happens in the first place without the cool approach from Lowe running to second base. That got the Pirates the runner home from third (Ryan O’Hearn), and that would’ve given them the lead even if the Gonzales rundown eventually ended in an out.

The fact that Gonzales turned it into more is even more fun, and it just shows that the Pirates have a smart group of ballplayers on the field.

Sometimes, you see things on a baseball field you’ve never seen before. This felt quite a bit like that.

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