Twins’ Max Kepler Got Coolest Double of MLB Season After Tripping Over His Bat

Baseball can be a game of luck. A hard-hit ball can go right into a defender’s glove. A bounce off a clod of dirt can send a grounder through a hole. Or a player can go crashing to the ground out of nowhere because his bat ricocheted the wrong way. 

That’s what happened to Twins outfielder Max Kepler against the Mariners on Monday night. In the top of the fourth, he hit a line drive into the right field corner that under normal circumstances would be easy double. 

But these weren’t normal circumstances. Kepler dropped his bat to the ground and it bounced back up, getting tangled in his legs and sending him tumbling to the turf. Luckily, he was able to get back on his feet and slide into second with his double. 

New definition of bat flip. ???? pic.twitter.com/pq1HxcQE1l

— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2023

The smile on Kepler’s face after he safely slid into second tells you all you need to know. He dodged a bullet there. 

Kepler’s night got even better after his funky double. In the ninth inning, he hit a three-run homer, his 13th of the season, but the Twins still lost, 7–6.