Pirates' O'Hearn Practices Daily Trick Play, Uses It to Win

For seven months, Pirates first baseman Ryan O'Hearn practiced the same flashy move before every game, wondering if he'd ever get to use it when it mattered.

Saturday night at PNC Park, his moment finally arrived.

In the fifth inning of a tight game against the Royals, O'Hearn fielded a sacrifice bunt with his back to first base. With no time to turn around, he flipped the ball between his legs to pitcher Brandon Eisert, who caught it mid-sprint for the out.

The play looked like something from the Harlem Globetrotters playbook. But for O'Hearn, it was pure preparation meeting opportunity.

"That was like a do-or-die type play on the bunt there," O'Hearn told MLB.com. "I don't think there was any other possible way that I could have gotten the out other than just a quick glove-flip between the legs."

O'Hearn practices the unconventional move daily alongside second baseman Brandon Lowe and assistant coach Ryan Jackson. He considered going behind-the-back but decided between-the-legs was more efficient.

Lowe watched the whole thing unfold from his perfect vantage point at second base. "It was all in slow motion for me," Lowe said with a smile.

"I feel like I saw every millisecond of the play develop in front of me, and then Eisert caught it," Lowe continued. "I couldn't believe he actually broke it out in a game."

Why This Inspires

O'Hearn has played 437 games at first base in his Major League career. He's taken thousands of ground balls in pregame warmups.

Most players would skip the trick shots and stick to fundamentals. O'Hearn chose to have fun with it, turning routine practice into an opportunity to master something special.

When the game demanded something extraordinary, his body knew exactly what to do. The Pirates went on to win 6-5 in comeback fashion.

It's a reminder that the work we do when nobody's watching matters just as much as what we do under the lights.