Toronto Blue Jays infielder Justin Turner pulled off one of the most unique stolen bases of the season on Sunday in a game against the Cleveland Guardians.
Turner initially appeared to be out at second by a mile while trying to advance on a wild pitch, but a review showed something rather bizarre: his helmet fell off as he was attempting to slide into second. As it turned out, Cleveland infielder Daniel Schneemann actually tagged the helmet, but only after it had fallen off Turner’s head.
The helmet then became wedged between Schneeman’s glove and Turner’s body, allowing Turner to swim around the tag without ever being touched.
Never seen this one before…
Umpires overturn this and call Justin Turner safe because his helmet fell off and prevented the fielder from tagging him pic.twitter.com/mJbI98Q98R
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 23, 2024
Turner was called out on the field, but wound up safe after a replay review.
It’s a great way to avoid a tag, but there’s no way you could ever actually plan it that way. Turner will undoubtedly take the fluke in this instance.
Turner did not wind up scoring as a result of the play, but he still produced one of the most unusual stolen bases you’ll see.
