You can’t script baseball.
The Cleveland Guardians headed to the ninth inning in Toronto on Saturday trailing 3-1. They had two hits all afternoon.
Then they loaded the bases, somehow, with two outs. They still trailed by the two runs.
Stepping in to try and be the hero was Daniel Schneeman, a utilityman whose journey to the major leagues was anything but straightforward.
On this day, Schneeman had already homered once, giving Cleveland its lone run up to that point.
MORE: Dodgers announce Shohei Ohtani pitching return update
And that’s when the baseball gods smiled down on the never-give-up Schneeman and gave him the swing of his life.
There wasn’t anything cheap about it. Schneeman clobbered a fastball that might’ve well soared to the moon in right field. It left his bat at 111 miles per hour. It was destroyed.
A grand slam, a 5-3 lead, and an Emmanuel Clase save later, a Guardians win, entirely powered by Schneeman.
DANIEL SCHNEEMANN GRAND SLAM X HAMMY CALL pic.twitter.com/LJnychgakj
— McNeil (@Reflog_18) May 3, 2025
Baseball is the sport more than any other that allows for moments like this.
In football, the quarterback always has the ball in his hands.
In basketball, you can draw up a play for the best player.
In hockey or soccer, you can make sure the star is in the contest at the right time and at least try to set them up.
But in baseball, you are locked into a batting order. It’s someone’s turn, and they either sink or swim.
Schneeman provided his two biggest swings of the season on Saturday, coming up at just the time the Guardians needed him.
He didn’t break into the big leagues until last year, at age 27. He’s a former 33rd round pick.
Guys like Schneeman aren’t even supposed to reach Major League Baseball.
But on Saturday, Schneeman was the hero for the Guardians in the grandest of fashion.
Baseball is the best.
MORE: Aaron Judge’s RBI a day keeps the pitchers in dismay
