Adrián Beltré Tried To Scam His Way From First To Third

It wasn’t quite as iconic as the absolutely perfect time he moved the on-deck circle last year. But Adrián Beltré continues to be the best in the world at turning otherwise mundane baseball plays into bursts of fun. In this case, it didn’t amount to anything tangible for his team, but you have to admire the 39-year-old Beltré for still hustling his ass off for a chance at a couple of extra bases, which he tried to do tonight against Oakland.

Beltré was on first after running out an infield single (and throwing up antlers afterward), and Jurickson Profar was at the plate. Profar hit a foul ball, and as catcher Jonathan Lucroy returned a new baseball to pitcher Andrew Triggs, it slipped into the outfield. Beltré, ever the scammer, tried to take advantage and run from first to third, but because the umpire hadn’t signaled a restart to play yet, the crafty vet was unceremoniously ordered to return to first.

Beltré’s hard work on that play can serve as penance for a bobble he had earlier in the game while playing third base—which is honestly still pretty funny, if in a different way.

Somehow, even an error is delightful when it’s committed by Adrián Beltré.