"That's crazy," said shortstop Dixon Machado. "That doesn't happen normally. Normally, if you hit a guy, the ball kind of dies. [Second baseman Andrew] Romine told me that the ball jumped, and he got it and touched the guy."
That's exactly how it happened, as Simon short-armed his throw to Romine, hitting Cain in the lower back. But the Royals center fielder was initiating a headfirst slide into second base, so the ball took a fortuitous hop to Romine, who snatched it out of the air and applied the tag in time.
Romine's quick reflexes earned a high-five from Simon, and the unusual putout was greeted with laughter and applause from the 32,788 fans at Comerica Park.