Blink and you'll miss this amazing steal of home

May 11th, 2022
Credit: Vanderbilt Baseball

Standing on third base with two outs and his team down one run in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday, Vanderbilt’s Enrique Bradfield Jr. took matters into his own hands, with his feet.

As soon as Indiana State lefty Jared Spencer turned his attention to first base, Bradfield took off down the third-base line. Before Spencer could even register what was happening and try to get him out, the swift Bradfield slid headfirst into home plate to score the game-tying run.

Vanderbilt went on to win the game, 8-7, in 11 innings, after Bradfield stole second, reached third on an error and then scored on a walk-off single.

A potential 2023 first-round Draft pick, Bradfield -- whom MLB Pipeline gave an 80-run grade coming out of high school -- has done nothing but impress since arriving at Vanderbilt before the 2021 season. That’s especially been the case on the basepaths. With his two steals Tuesday, he’s now a perfect 33-for-33 on stolen-base attempts this season and 79-for-85 for his career. He even wears No. 51, evoking memories of famous Major League speedsters Ichiro Suzuki and Willie McGee. Tuesday, however, marked Bradfield's first steal of home.