There’s a reason Javier Baez earned the nickname “El Mago” during his baseball career. And he showed just why during Puerto Rico’s Sunday night game against Israel during the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
With Puerto Rico already up 2-0 in the bottom of the first — thanks to a two-run double from Baez earlier in the inning — the team was looking to extend their lead even more. After a called strike with two outs in the inning, Baez got a good jump off of second to make for third for the steal.
