Watch: Chris Coghlan Flips Over Yadier Molina To Score In Blue Jays’ 6-5 Win Vs Cardinals

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Chris Coghlan made his team go wild when he performed a spectacular diving flip over Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina to break a tie in St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Watch: Blue Jays’ Chris Coghlan Flips Over Cardinals’ Yadier Molina

With the game tied 2-2 and out one remaining in the top of the seventh inning, Coghlan smacked a 1-1 pitch from Cardinals reliever Matt Bowman to deep right field and ran around the bases as Stephen Piscotty crashed into the wall attempting to catch the Blue Jays utility player’s ball.

To end the play, Coghlan somersaulted over Molina right before arriving at home base to avoid Piscotty’s tag attempt and put Toronto up 3-2.

Coghlan fell headfirst on home plate, rolling to his feet, checked the umpire’s call and then ran back to the Jays’ dugout.

“Last second really,” Coghlan admitted. “I was coming around third. I looked to my left to see where the ball was and I thought it was going to beat me. Then probably the last step or two I saw Yadi go down and your first thought’s like, OK I’m going to run him over because he’s right over the plate. Then I was thinking since he was down, why don’t you jump and I just jumped. Then the rest was history. I was joking. I was trying to do my best Willie Mays Hayes impersonation.”

The 31-year-old Jays outfielder was referring to his attempt at doing an impression of Wesley Snipes’ character from the 1989 baseball comedy movie ‘Major League.’

Several of Coghlan’s teammates couldn’t help but be thoroughly flabbergasted by his athletic prowess. Toronto starter Marco Estrada explained his reaction in a very comical way.

“When I saw Coghlan do a front flip over Molina, it was like I saw a unicorn or something,” right-hander Estrada said. “It’s just something that doesn’t happen. You might not ever see that again. I’m glad I saw it. I’m going to remember that forever.”

The Blue Jays tweeted a GIF of Coghlan’s leaping flip:

Toronto won 6-5 in 11 innings on Tuesday in the three-game series opener in St. Louis.

“A crazy game,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “A great game, but a crazy game. Especially for what we’ve been through the last few weeks, an emotional roller-coaster.”

Toronto’s starting pitcher Marcus Stroman also helped set up the Jay’s game-winning rally in the 11th by recording his first career hit, a double to take advantage of a Cardinals defensive error: first baseman Jose Martinez couldn’t quite catch a wide throw from Aledmys Diaz. 

Stroman then scored the go-ahead run on Diaz’s errant toss on Steve Pearce’s two-out ground ball.

The starter was equally impressed with Coghlan’s somersault.

“That was one of the most unbelievable live plays I’ve ever seen in my life,” Stroman said. “Something you see in video games and movies where guys kind of go right over the catcher. You never see it happen in a big-league game, so that was crazy. I think we were all in kind of awe.”

The second game of the series was postponed from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon due to rain, so the Cardinals and Jays will face off in St. Louis for the first game of a double-header Thursday at 1:45 p.m. EST. The second game of the day is at 8:15 pm EST.

Article by Pablo Mena