Ketel's baserunning doesn't pass the sniff test

March 29th, 2022

If the shoe fits ... smell it?

Cubs shortstop Ildemaro Vargas got a good whiff of Ketel Marte's spikes on Tuesday afternoon, and he didn't love what he sniffed. Marte, who recently inked a shiny new extension with the D-backs, was trying to go first to third on a single to right field by Cooper Hummel in the fifth inning of the spring game against Chicago. As he watched the throw come in, Marte hesitated between second and third, thinking he might get hung up. That's when the other shoe dropped.

It didn't deter the speedy Marte, though, and he made it safely to third with a nifty hook slide. Vargas came over to return the lost loafer, taking a brief sniff inside and recoiling as he did. Rookie mistake. It was all smiles between Vargas and Marte after, and whether the stench was really too much to bear can only be left up to the imagination.

You just never know what you're going to see on a baseball field in Spring Training. Or, apparently, smell.