Los Angeles Angels Pull Off Rare Hidden Ball Trick On New York Yankees, Pay For It Later

In a move not often seen at the Major League level, the Los Angeles Angels used the so-called hidden ball trick during a game against the New York Yankees on Wednesday night.

And it worked:

The hidden ball trick, as the name implies, is when one player pretends to have the ball while another sneaks up on a runner to tag him. In this case, Angels outfielder Mike Trout caught a ball hit by New York’s Brett Gardner, then threw it in to prevent the Yankees’ baserunners from tagging up.  

Angels second baseman Tommy La Stella faked catching the throw, and New York’s Tyler Wade, who was standing on second, fell for it. Third baseman Andrelton Simmons who really did have the ball then tagged Wade from behind when he briefly took his foot off the base: 

Wade wasn’t the only one asleep on the bases. The umpires missed it, too, and the play had to be reviewed before they called the runner out. 

“I gotta be smarter than that,” Wade said after the game.

He got his revenge two innings later, when he stole second base and scored the go-ahead run to break a 5-5 tie in the 9th inning. That ultimately made the difference, as the Yankees won 6-5. 

People on Twitter were divided over the use of the hidden ball trick: