Never slide into first base

First things first. I love Vladimir Guerrero. He’s my favorite active athlete in any sport and has singlehandedly carried the Angels at times this year.

But Wednesday night against Seattle, he made a rare mistake. In the top of the 10th inning, with a runner on third and 2 outs, Guerrero hit a high-chopper to the right side. He sprinted down the line, and at the last second, slid into first base. He was barely out.

Had Guerrero been safe at first, the go-ahead run would’ve scored and the Angels would have likely won, as they didn’t give up a run until the bottom of the 12th to lose the game. And there’s a chance Vladdy could’ve been safe had he kept running through first base and not slid into the bag. There’s a reason you don’t see track runners slide across the finish line. It is faster to run across and not stop your momentum.

Oh well. It’s just one loss in a long season. And I’m fully aware Guerrero will win a lot more games for the Angels than his rare mistakes will cost them.