Nico Hoerner’s Stanford education certainly paid off for the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
The Cubs’ second baseman made a heads-up play in the third inning of Sunday’s Crosstown Classic matchup against the White Sox. In a one-run game, with the Cubs leading 2-1, and runners on first and second, White Sox shortstop Chase Meidroth hit a pop-up on the right side of the infield.
The umpires called the infield fly rule, meaning the batter was out whether or not the ball was caught. Hoerner used this to his advantage, letting the pop-up drop onto the ground. White Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa took off from second when the ball hit the turf, allowing Hoerner to quickly pick up the ball and throw it to third baseman Matt Shaw, who applied the tag for the double play.
Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton joined the broadcast in the 6th inning and loved what he saw from Hoerner.
“That was a really impressive play by Nico,” Horton said. “That was elite baseball knowledge right there.”
Ben Brown, who was on the mound for the double play, was fired up in the dugout as it helped the right-handed hurler escape the jam and end the third inning.
Hoerner also contributed offensively, singling home Carson Kelly in the sixth inning, before scoring all the way from first on a Matt Shaw double, to extend the Cubs’ lead to 4-1.