ST. LOUIS -- Although he is still a rookie, a legitimate case can be made that Ke’Bryan Hayes is already one of the game’s best defensive third basemen.
On Sunday, he may have made his greatest play yet.
"I would be hard-pressed to say that’s not the play of the year," Derek Shelton said after the Pirates' 7-2 victory at Busch Stadium.
In the second inning, Yadier Molina bounced a ball up the third base line, far from where Hayes was positioned in the shift. He was still able to get to the ball in time, which appeared to be enough to hold Molina to an infield single rather than a double.
But, Hayes made the throw instead, and it was a good one:
KE'BRYAN HAYES.
— Pirates (@Pirates) June 27, 2021
THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE TWEET. pic.twitter.com/Bh3Mrir1i4
"I was able to get to it and kind of instinctively went ahead and made a throw over there," Hayes said.
Throwing against his body, Hayes was able to get the ball to Colin Moran at first base, beating Molina by half a step.
"When I released it, I thought I threw it a little too high," Hayes said. "It happened to be right on the money. One of the do or die plays."
Beyond putting his own name on just about every highlight reel, Hayes also preserved a perfect effort from Max Kranick in his debut.
"I definitely owe him something. It was unbelievable," Kranick said. "It doesn’t really surprise me at this point. He’s always making plays like that, but it’s unbelievable."
The "Hail Mary" play in football and basketball half-court shot get fooled around with on a regular basis in practice for those sports. But this play, ranging that far, is not part of the average daily pregame routine. Hayes is not average. He said that this is something he's rehearsed since last year at the alternate site into spring training.
There's a very low chance of this play happening, and even lower odds that he might pull it off. But Hayes was prepared for the rare moment.
"You just have them emulate that same ground ball. Like how I threw it," Hayes said. "Because in a game, your momentum, it's a little harder to practice that play, but you can get pretty close by just hitting some fungo over there and trying to emulate that throw."
The play comes less than 24 hours after Nolan Arenado, his adversary at the hot corner for the Cardinals, ranged into left field to make an over-the-shoulder catch that showed what's made him one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. With those two in the same division for the foreseeable future, it should make for an entertaining battle for years to come.
"There’s not a lot that that kid does that just doesn’t surprise you every day, man," Shelton said. "He’s special over there."