Pirates' Tyler Callihan backed up a play in an unusual way that will make coaches everywhere happy
Pirates’ Tyler Callihan backed up a play in an unusual way that will make coaches everywhere happy originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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As baseball players grow up and are taught about playing defense, there’s one frequent refrain: Keep moving.
There isn’t really a reason to be standing still when the ball is in the field of play. You can run to get the ball. You can cover a base. Or you can back up the play.
It’s backing up the play that can often get overlooked, particularly for outfielders, who spend so much of the game so far away from the action.
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Tyler Callihan didn’t take his backup job for granted on Tuesday night, though, and it saved a run.
Callihan was playing right field when a grounder was hit to third base. He knew the throw was going to first, and he knew if there was anywhere at all for him to move in this moment, it was in that direction.
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A secondary broadcast shot eventually reveals that Callihan took off at close to full speed as soon as the ball was hit.
When the throw got past the first baseman, Callihan was the first guy to the ball, and it stopped the lead runner from rounding third and heading home.
It’s not something you see every day, but it’s really cool:
10th inning last night. If you want to see hustle, watch right fielder, Tyler Callihan. He went full speed to back up first base well before 3B Nick Gonzalez made his errant throw. Impressive pic.twitter.com/yVWGadfOJu
— John Toperzer (@PiratesTalk) July 28, 2026
Skeptical fans will make the case that Callihan didn’t trust his infielders to make the play.
But that’s the thing about backing up — if you do it right, you’re always there, even in all the moments that the play is made just fine.
You run into position to save the day once in a long while. This was that moment for Callihan, and he was there.
