Cole Calhoun made the most of an otherwise routine play with some unexpected chaos on the basepaths. After hitting into a fielder’s choice, Calhoun stayed on first while his teammate got forced out at second. Daniel Murphy bobbled the ball on the relay, missing a chance at a double play. Moments later, after a flyout, the defense tried to catch Calhoun off first, but the throw sailed past Murphy into right field. Tony Wolters was there to back it up, but misplayed it, leading to a weird sequence.
Calhoun sized up the situation as he drifted towards second and made a deliberate move to bait a throw. When the throw came in, he leaned forward and took the ball square to the helmet. The umpire immediately ruled that Calhoun leaned into it on purpose and called him out for interference. Calhoun walked off casually, but his manager wasn’t having it. He argued hard, yelling that there was no way his guy meant to get hit. The ump’s equipment kept malfunctioning during the exchange, adding some comic relief as his mask wouldn’t stay in place.
In the middle of all that, Calhoun had already gone deep earlier in the game, hitting his eighth home run of the season. His overall numbers haven’t popped, but he keeps finding ways to entertain. Whether it’s taking a pitch to the dome on purpose or grinding out at-bats, Calhoun stays in the mix.