Omar Vizquel gets his mitt on at 44, plays first base for 1st time

As stratovolcanoes explode across the Defensive Spectrum Range!

In his 2,874th career major league appearance, Vizquel, an 11-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop, grabbed a mitt and played first base for the first time. As in, his life.

The Chicago White Sox needed him to shift from second base after manager Ozzie Guillen removed Paul Konerko for a pinch runner in the top of the 11th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Vizquel, who said he never had played first base in his life before Saturday, had a hard time finding a comfortable mitt. He went through several that belonged to Konerko and Adam Dunn (who, like Vizquel, is a right-handed thrower in case you’re wondering) before finding the right one.

Like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” only with mitts. As reported in the Chicago Tribune:

  “I never even put a [mitt] on my hand at first base,” Vizquel said. “It felt very weird. I was really close to playing with my glove.”