Travis d’Arnaud has spent 10 seasons as a Major League catcher, so it should come as no surprise that his baseball IQ is off the charts. He knows the rules so well that he’s even willing to take a throw from close range just to help his team.
During the Braves’ Sunday night game against the Dodgers, d’Arnaud was at the plate with Dansby Swanson on at first and Michael Harris II at second. The speedy Harris took off to steal third, but the throw from Dodgers catcher Will Smith never made it there.
That was because d’Arnaud blocked the throw with his bat while staying in accordance with MLB rules.
Travis d'Arnaud knows the rules 😂pic.twitter.com/ScTaA6bt3T
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 27, 2022
I mean, that’s just brilliant.
MLB rules don’t allow the batter to interfere with a catcher’s throw by moving (either in or out of the box into a throwing lane). However, the batter doesn’t necessarily need to give the catcher a throwing lane. He’s allowed to remain still in the batter’s box, which makes a tougher throw for the catcher but doesn’t break any rules.
d’Arnaud knew that if he stood there like a statue, there was no way that Smith would be able to get off a strong enough throw to catch Harris. So, he did just that — he stood in the box like a statue. You could even see him brace for impact, and thankfully the ball hit his bat and not his face.
It was gutsy and smart. And it totally worked.
