By now, you would think MLB teams have enough video evidence and scouting reports to know that trying to score a run when Yoenis Cespedes fields a ball is probably a bad idea. The dude has a cannon for a right arm that will gun baserunners down.
The latest example of that happened in the fifth inning of Saturday’s NLCS Game 1 between the Cubs and Mets. With the score tied 1-1 and Starlin Castro on second base for the Cubs, Javier Baez singled into left field. The Cubs apparently thought the ball was hit hard enough or far enough to send Castro around third base toward home. As you can see, that was a mistake.
The play at the plate wasn’t even that close, as Cespedes’ throw beat Castro by a couple of steps. It even got there soon enough for catcher Travis d’Arnaud to apply a tag to Castro, then make a throw to first base to nearly double off Baez.
Cespedes’ play kept the score tied 1-1 and gave pitcher Matt Harvey two outs in the inning. That allowed him to finish off the fifth by intentionally walking David Ross to pitch to Jon Lester. Lester struck out to end the inning, and the Mets escaped with only giving up one run.
