Atlanta Braves' Austin Riley Scores Clutch Run, Face Plants Sliding Into Home

Austin Riley was mocked online for his less-than-graceful slide into home plate against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, even though it set the stage for the Atlanta Braves' victory.

Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (27) celebrates with first baseman Matt Olson (28) after a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the third inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Austin Riley came through in the clutch on the basebaths Monday night, but he ultimately didn't get any style points for his efforts.

The Atlanta Braves trailed the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 with one out in the bottom of the eighth when Riley chopped a grounder to short. While he was initially ruled out, the call was overturned after a review showed the 28-year-old third baseman had beat the throw.

Riley had advanced to second by the time Matt Olson stepped up to the plate. Olson notched a single of his own and Riley immediately set his sights on scoring.

As Riley approached home plate, he slid head-first, even as the throw from right got cut off. He didn't get his arms far enough out in front of him, though, and the end result was a face plant.

Austin Riley, Head-First Slide and Dirt Sampling Mechanics pic.twitter.com/5bL0tKcPb4

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 22, 2025

The tying run still counted in spite of the blooper, and Atlanta went on to score four more times in the frame. While the Cardinals scored three runs in the top of the ninth, the Braves had enough insurance to win 7-6.

Riley finished the contest 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk. He hit a home run in the third inning.

Through 22 games this season, Riley is batting .278 with six home runs, four doubles, 15 RBIs, 12 runs and an .838 OPS.

The Braves have now won four games in a row and have a chance to clinch their series with the Cardinals at 7:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

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