Embarrassing Javier Baez swing and miss goes viral
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez has been the latest talk of the MLB after his head-turning swing and miss on Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. During the bottom of the second inning, with no one on base and two outs, Baez found himself at the plate facing Twins' starter Kenta Maeda.
Baez goes viral for the wrong reason
Starting with two balls in Baez's favor, Maeda then showed his prowess by pulling one over the famed shortstop. After a miss on the third pitch and two fouls, Maeda threw a sick slider, catching Baez completely off guard. The pitch saw the Tigers' shortstop swing at a pitch WAY outside.
Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) was quick to capitalize on the misstep, comparing Baez's swing to 50 Cent's infamous ceremonial first pitch for the New York Mets in 2014.
Despite this gaffe, Baez redeemed himself later in the game with a single, contributing to Detroit's 3-0 win over the Twins, ensuring a 3-1 series victory.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)
- A Javier Baez swing and miss vs. Minnesota Twins' Kenta Maeda goes viral
- His misstep went viral, compared to 50 Cent's famous flawed pitch.
- Despite the blunder, Baez later aided Detroit Tigers in a 3-0 win against the Twins.
Bottom Line – Baez's Meme-able Moments
While the world of sports often elevates athletes to near-god-like statuses, moments of imperfection make them relatable. Whether it's a misguided pitch or an embarrassing swing and miss as we see from Baez on a regular basis, these moments serve as reminders of the very human nature of the game. With that being said, Baez is paid a lot of money to hit and field a baseball. Unfortunately, he is only doing one of those things well in 2023.
