The quickest way to a baseball fan's heart is hustle. Run the basepaths lackadaisically and you'll hear the boo birds. Bust your butt racing against the odds to first base and you'll may just make yourself a cult hero. Just like New York Mets second baseman Jose Iglesias.
Iglesias delivered the hustle play of the season for the Mets on Tuesday during Game 1 of the NL Wild Card series. New York trailed 4-3 with two outs in the top of the fifth. The second baseman hit a ball into the path of Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins. Ninety-nine percent of the time, Hoskins' catch and flip to the pitcher covering first would have ended the inning with an out. But Iglesias didn't give up on the play.
With a daring head-first slide, Iglesias beat Joel Payamps to the base. His effort sent Tyrone Taylor home to tie the game. And it only got better from there.
Uh, did somebody say something about baserunning? How about this hustle -- both from Jose Iglesias busting it down the line, and from Tyrone Taylor scoring from second on an infield hit. Goodness.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 1, 2024
Mets 4, Brewers 4, top five. pic.twitter.com/eNCODDd6if
That slide was ultimately the difference between a one-run deficit and a four-run lead heading into the sixth. Because Iglesias prevented the final out of the inning, he made it possible for Brandon Nummo to reach on an infield single, Mark Vientos to drive home two more runs on a single to right, Pete Alonso to load the bases on an intentional walk and J.D. Martinez to bring home another two runs with a single of his own.
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Jose Iglesias gave literally everything he had to get to first base
According to David Adler of StatCast, Iglesias's sprint speed was 29.3 ft/sec to make it to first. His regular season average was 28.5 ft/sec. The MLB average is 27 ft/sec. That's not just speed. That's all out hustle. That's never-say-die effort.
The slide even cost Iglesias his belt, which tore during the play.
Jose Iglesias broke his belt on the headfirst slide into first base 😤 pic.twitter.com/Dvzx0Zx4kq
— SNY (@SNYtv) October 1, 2024
A cost of a replacement belt would be well worth the reward of that moment.
Players like Iglesias and their immense heart and effort turned the season around for the Mets and got them into the postseason. Now, they're delivering to keep the season alive even longer.