# Best baseball dive ever! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 26, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286 "2017-04-26T14:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/1 "2017-04-26T14:00:00Z")
[Check this out!](http://www.tsn.ca/mlb/video/mlb-blue-jays-6-cardinals-5-11~1108355) First minute of the clip. Anyone ever seen anything like it? (That’s a genuine, not rhetorical, question. I’m curious.) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/2 "2017-04-26T14:13:03Z")
It’s happened before, and not just in “Major League II.” I remember Matt Carpenter doing this awhile back. Coghlan’s leap might be the most graceful example I’ve seen, though. It looked like he’d been practicing his whole life to try that. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/3 "2017-04-26T14:22:01Z")
Shows up as not available here in my region (US), but I assume you’re talking about [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kt_Md0ZsDs). I know I’ve seen something very similar to that before–maybe it is the Carpenter slide mentioned above. But, as also mentioned, this is perhaps the best example of leaping over the catcher I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/4 "2017-04-26T14:27:14Z")
Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m thinking of this [college game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFIcpn7NOw0) slide. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/5 "2017-04-26T15:48:09Z")
Of course, if the catcher had really realized what was going on, he could have applied the tag; the glove as it is is just inches from the leg/foot of Coghlan. But he simply raised his arms to protect himself without really realizing that the impact he was protecting from was the baserunner jumping over him, until much too late. The rather comical moment when he realizes what has happened, and then turns to try and apply a tag made me chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/6 "2017-04-26T16:24:59Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Shows up as not available here in my region (US), but I assume you’re talking about [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kt_Md0ZsDs). I know I’ve seen something very similar to that before–maybe it is the Carpenter slide mentioned above. But, as also mentioned, this is perhaps the best example of leaping over the catcher I’ve seen. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m thinking of this [college game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFIcpn7NOw0) slide. The announcers keep using the word “slide”. I do not think it means what they think it means. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/7 "2017-04-26T16:32:34Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > The announcers keep using the word “slide”. I do not think it means what they think it means. I’m tempted to call it “Nintendo baserunning”: if an opponent is in your path, just jump over him. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/8 "2017-04-26T16:50:28Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > The announcers keep using the word “slide”. I do not think it means what they think it means. See, when I read the OP and saw “dive,” I assumed a defensive play. I see what you’re saying, but I guess I just associated a “slide” as an offensive play towards a base, regardless of whether a literal slide takes place or a leap does. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/9 "2017-04-26T17:47:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > See, when I read the OP and saw “dive,” I assumed a defensive play. I see what you’re saying, but I guess I just associated a “slide” as an offensive play towards a base, regardless of whether a literal slide takes place or a leap does. When I saw “dive” I assumed it was like what soccer players do. And no baseball player will ever dive as well as a soccer player. And yeah, I get why people fall back on the vocabulary they’re used to, especially someone at a microphone who has to describe things in real time. I’m just quite literal-minded. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/10 "2017-04-26T18:05:09Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Of course, if the catcher had really realized what was going on, he could have applied the tag; the glove as it is is just inches from the leg/foot of Coghlan. But he simply raised his arms to protect himself without really realizing that the impact he was protecting from was the baserunner jumping over him, until much too late. The rather comical moment when he realizes what has happened, and then turns to try and apply a tag made me chuckle. What made me LOL is that Coghlan missed third, but nobody appealed. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/11 "2017-04-26T18:41:42Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > What made me LOL is that Coghlan missed third, but nobody appealed. Was there a better angle than the MLB one. [Here’s a better version of the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3BDn2K6sgo). It does, from that angle, seem like he missed third, but it’s hard to tell for certain. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/12 "2017-04-26T18:45:38Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > What made me LOL is that Coghlan missed third, but nobody appealed. Well, I know he touched home plate because he’s handstanding on it. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/13 "2017-04-26T18:47:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Was there a better angle than the MLB one. [Here’s a better version of the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3BDn2K6sgo). It does, from that angle, seem like he missed third, but it’s hard to tell for certain. There is no way to tell from that angle if he missed it or not. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/14 "2017-04-26T18:54:55Z")
If that’s the only angle, well, he touched it, and even a review would have said so. Of course, for all we know, the third base ump did notice Coughlan missed the base, but for reasons I have never really understood, he can’t say so unless the fielding team appeals. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/15 "2017-04-26T19:03:58Z")
I think that may be the most astounding baseball play I have seen. Many of sports highlight plays consist of acts performed countless times in practice and in games, just taken to some unusual extreme. This one seems to have been invented on the spot, and wouldn’t have worked nearly as well had the catcher been closer to or farther from the plate. It would have been a dive and crawl had he been a different distance from the plate. The catcher must feel like a schmuck. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/16 "2017-04-26T19:04:27Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > There is no way to tell from that angle if he missed it or not. There’s certainly nothing definitive about that angle, but I could see why someone would get the idea he may have missed third. It _looks_ like it should have been his right foot touching the base, but there _seems_ to be space there between the foot and the base. Like I said, not enough that I would overturn it just from that angle, but I can see where the idea comes from. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/17 "2017-04-26T19:13:33Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I think that may be the most astounding baseball play I have seen. Many of sports highlight plays consist of acts performed countless times in practice and in games, just taken to some unusual extreme. This one seems to have been invented on the spot, and wouldn’t have worked nearly as well had the catcher been closer to or farther from the plate. It would have been a dive and crawl had he been a different distance from the plate. The catcher must feel like a schmuck. [Here’s the Carpenter one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ficEgE80Jrk), for reference. Not quite the vertical, but same basic idea. [This softball one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6or-MgV4fxc) is another fun example, with a different approach (no somersault flip, but good air and quick thinking!) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/18 "2017-04-26T19:37:29Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I think that may be the most astounding baseball play I have seen. Here are some great catches, I particularly like Trout climbing the wall and reaching way over to rob a home run. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKR2vRj8Xzk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKR2vRj8Xzk) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/19 "2017-04-26T20:00:58Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Here are some great catches, I particularly like Trout climbing the wall and reaching way over to rob a home run. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKR2vRj8Xzk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKR2vRj8Xzk) The Pillar catch at about 7 min into the video has always been one of my favorites. The guy is a beast in the outfield. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286/20 "2017-04-26T23:51:15Z")
I was watching this game with the guys at the local sports bar. We all saw Coghlan make his leap. When the dust had settled, one wag observed, “So the Jays get a run, and Coghlan gets 9.2 from the Russian judge.” We all laughed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-baseball-dive-ever/785286.md?page=2)