Hustle, Car! Beltran shows off motor in key 9th

Veteran DH beats out double play, then scores from first on triple to tie it

August 6th, 2017

HOUSTON -- At 40 years old and playing in his 2,550th Major League game, Astros designated hitter certainly doesn't run like he did when he was compiling Gold Glove Awards in the outfield a decade ago. But in the ninth inning Sunday, he was just fast enough.
Beltran beat out a potential game-ending double play ball by hustling down the line to first base and then scored the game-tying run from first on a two-run triple as the Astros rallied to score four in the ninth and stun the Blue Jays, 7-6, at Minute Maid Park.
It took Beltran 12.04 seconds to go from first to home, with a Sprint Speed of 25.5 feet per second (his average is 25.9), according to Statcast™. The league average from first to home is 11.28 seconds with a Sprint Speed average of 27 feet per second.
"There's two outs, so my job is to try get a good secondary lead and hopefully score on that play right there," Beltran said. "When the ball was hit, I knew it was going to be in that corner, and it was a long run for [left fielder Norichika] Aoki and for the center fielder. I'm looking at the third-base coach, and I know that I've got to go home. I gave everything I have."

The triple by tied the game, and won it when he singled to right field to score Bregman for the Astros' third walk-off win this year (first since April 9).
Beltran had three singles in the game, but perhaps no play was bigger than his one-out grounder in the ninth to first baseman , who threw to second base for the second out of the inning but had no play on a hustling Beltran at first.
"You're just trying to beat the double play right there and, thank God, I was able to do that and give the team another chance to tie the game," he said.

When Bregman hit the triple into the gap in left-center, there was little doubt third-base coach Gary Pettis was going to send him home. He wound up sliding home without a tag as the ball reached the home plate area.
"One-hundred percent confident," Bregman said when asked if he thought Beltran would score. "He looked like he did 20 years ago running around the bases … flying. It was a fun moment."