Brandon Belt beats shift with dribbler to spoil no-hitter

Using a defensive shift against left-handed hitters can often be an advantage, but it burned the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night and cost Patrick Corbin a no-hitter in the process.

Corbin had not allowed a hit through 7.2 innings against the San Francisco Giants until Brandon Belt reached on an infield single. Belt seemed fooled by a breaking ball and checked his swing, making soft contact with a ball that dribbled towards third. He was able to beat it out.

#MLB | Increíble que con un “check swing” Brandon Belt le haya roto el sin hit a Patrick Corbin, y todo por culpa del dichoso “shift” pic.twitter.com/JQRIKu6XVd

— Carlos Morales (@C_MoralesD) April 18, 2018

Had the infielders been playing in their normal spots instead of being shifted for Belt to pull, that probably would have been a routine play.

Corbin issued a walk in the fourth and allowed the hit to Belt, and that was it for the game. He pitched a complete game one-hit shutout and allowed just two baserunners while striking out eight. Not a bad night’s work.