Nico Hoerner tosses ball between legs for highlight-reel putout, but Cubs' skid hits 7 games vs. Astros
Nico Hoerner gave Chicago Cubs fans a reason to cheer Saturday in the fifth inning of a 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros. The two-time Gold Glove Award-winning second baseman offered a reprieve during the Cubs’ May malaise.
Amid what’s now a seven-game losing streak, Hoerner dropped jaws at Wrigley Field by snuffing out a bunt toward second with a putout that saw him field the ball barehanded and toss it to first between his legs.
Chicago first baseman Michael Busch extended to complete the highlight-reel play before Astros catcher César Salazar could reach the bag.
Hoerner has piled up a collection of the eye-catching web gems this season. Notably, on April 24, he wowed with back-to-back defensive plays during the seventh inning of a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that capped the team’s first of two 10-game win streaks this season.
OH MY GOODNESS, NICO HOERNER!
— MLB (@MLB) April 25, 2026
This play will blow your mind 😮 pic.twitter.com/BnacwqKJaC
First the now-29-year-old Hoerner showed off his arm as a cut-off man. He beamed a perfectly placed throw from the outfield that bounced right to third base, where Alex Bregman was able to tag out a dashing Andy Pages, who was trying to stretch a no-out double into a triple. Then the next batter, Hyeseong Kim, hit a grounder that ricocheted off Busch. Instinctively, Hoerner leapt and plucked the ball mid-air before planting and firing a strike to Ryan Rolison as the reliever raced to first for the putout.
Offense has been hard to come by for the Cubs recently, and Hoerner hasn’t been exempt from those struggles at the plate. He came into Saturday batting just .164 in Chicago’s previous 15 games.
But his defense continues to impress.
