HOUSTON — The Astros clobbered the Mets 8-2 Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park, but it was the between inning shenanigans that stole the show.
A 6-year-old kid named Oliver was chosen to "steal" a base to win a prize.
He was supposed to pick up a fake base from right field. Instead, Oliver eagerly sprinted to the real second base as Astros on the field watched in amusement.
“They never told me it was a fake base,” Oliver told theathletic.com Wednesday, “So I thought they meant to go onto the actual field, steal a base and run back.”
The kid tried to pick up second base but it wouldn't budge. Second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Mauricio Dubón played along and stepped in to help. They couldn't lift the base either.
The crowd roared.
Altuve and Dubón then pointed Oliver in the right direction and he ran back into the outfield to get the fake base as everyone cheered.
“It felt like I was in a big Astros game,” Oliver told The Athletic.
"Legend" the Astros tweeted.
The video went viral.
“We thought it would be funny to give him the bag, but it wasn't going anywhere," Dubón said after the game. “That was fun, though."
The Astros won the game but Oliver won the night. Well-played, kid.
