Hank Conger lays down a perfect bunt, falls on his face, reaches base safely

The alignment of Orioles infielders on Saturday suggested that Angels backup catcher Hank Conger is an extreme pull-hitter. Seeing this, Conger decided to lay down a bunt and beat the shift -- not a bad idea given the circumstances.

The slow-rolling bunt was perfectly placed and would have allowed Conger to easily reach base. Orioles third baseman Manny Machado essentially conceds an infield single.

Then, about eight second into the above video, Machado sees something that makes him jolt to attention.

Hank Conger faceplanted running to first base, and it was quite spectacular.

By the time Machado fielded the ball, Conger had recovered and reached base safely with nothing more than a scratch or two and a bruised ego.

And thus, an early candidate for Bunt of the Year is born. This is how champions are made, friends -- one dust cloud at a time.

-- Dakota Gardner / MLB.com