Minor league pitcher Javier Assad struggled to field a bunt, but he found a crazy creative way to still make a play Friday.
On the mound for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans — the Chicago Cubs’ Class A-Advanced affiliate — Assad and his team crushed the Salem Red Sox, 12-2, but his first-inning play is the one that stands out.
Salem’s Marco Hernandez bunted, and the ball went up inside the first base line. But as Assad tried to field it, he bobbled the ball and couldn’t hang onto it. But he wasn’t about to let an easy out slide by, so he kicked it to first baseman Cam Balego for a wild out.
While Assad is getting a lot of credit for this play, Balego deserves a good amount too because that kick was awfully close to first base. But what a play.
