And the Oscar goes to … Austin Hedges!
Because the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher pulled off a move that I honestly don’t think I’ve seen before: He flopped and it totally fooled an umpire into calling batter’s interference, which meant that Cincinnati Reds infielder Jonathan India — who was attempting to steal — was called out and the batter (T.J. Friedl) had struck out.
Now, maybe his throwing hand hit Friedl’s helmet? I can’t really tell. But it’s one of those things where if the ump didn’t see the hand graze it, the flop most certainly helped.
Seriously, this is an NBA- or soccer-level flop right here:
Austin Hedges draws the batter’s interference call and Jonathan India is ruled out at 2nd. pic.twitter.com/mYht2qBa84
— Caught Stealing (@MLB_CS) April 21, 2023
Fans were in awe: