Jon Lester's Weird One-Hop Pickoff Move Succeeds

Cubs pitcher Jon Lester’s complete and utter inability to successfully deliver a pickoff throw has been well-documented and exploited over the years, so he began trying something new in spring training this year: one-hopping the ball to first base. (Or more-than-one hopping it, if necessary. “I don’t really care what it looks like. I don’t care if it bounces 72 times over there. An out’s an out,” he told ESPN last month.) During tonight’s start against the Brewers, he gave the bounce-pass a whirl, and whaddya know, he pulled it off.

Before that, though, Lester handed Ryan Braun a stupidly easy stolen base:   

Later in the inning, Braun thought he could pull the same move again to get to third. This time, not so fast. Lester got him with his unorthodox move:

Hopping right over the yips.