Corbin Burnes faced early trouble against the Pirates when Jacob Stallings led off the second inning with a single up the middle. But the highlight came right after. Ben Gamel hit a deep fly to center, and Jackie Bradley Jr. pulled off a perfect deke. He acted like he missed the catch, slowing down and fooling Stallings at first. Thinking the ball dropped, Stallings strayed off the bag. But JBJ had it all along. He fired the ball back in, and Stallings got tagged out trying to scramble back. The Brewers dugout loved it, with teammates laughing and praising Bradley’s instincts.
Burnes quickly locked back in, recording the next out and escaping the inning with no damage. The play stood out not just for the out but for the awareness it showed. JBJ used experience and body language to bait a baserunner into a mistake. The first base coach even joked about it, saying Bradley “hooked” him, a nod to how completely the trick worked. Plays like that don’t show up in the box score the way they should, but they change momentum in a hurry.