By the time he emerged from the cloud of dust he created after his head-first slide into home plate, the back of his jersey was covered in a streak of dirt, from his name all the way down his No. 9. El Mago had done it again.

With his team trailing by a run in the fourth inning and runners on the corners with no outs, Javier Báez saw the pitcher throw to first and immediately broke for home. It was a move he’d successfully pulled off just weeks earlier in New York, and Detroit Tigers first baseman John Hicks seemed to be prepared. Hicks broke off the bag as he received the throw from starter Francisco Liriano and fired home to catcher James McCann, who tried to apply a tag on Báez. But the enigmatic infielder slid to the outside of the plate, contorted his body to such a degree that he was sliding on his side and then reached around with his right hand to swipe home, all while staying just out of reach of McCann’s mitt.

“I was worried about the play because we had a right-handed fielder at first,” Báez said. “It’s easier for him to throw it to the plate. If it were a left-hander, he’s got to turn all the way to throw the ball. That’s why I was kind of in between.”

But Báez was able to pull off another magic trick and somehow come away with the tying run. As he emerged from his slide, he let out a scream and pumped his fist before receiving some love from Willson Contreras, the batter at the time.

“After the swim move — it was really nasty, I’m sorry, but it was nasty — I just got excited,” Báez said.

After Báez pulled off a nearly identical move in New York in early June, manager Joe Maddon explained that it was something they worked on in spring training. He reiterated the point Wednesday after the Cubs’ 5-2 victory.

“Spring training, we discuss all this stuff like I’ve talked about before,” Maddon said. “Then a situation pops up and the guys have to recognize it and be ready for it. I don’t want to give signs on that play, I’d rather they be able to understand what’s happening and then adjust accordingly. And then they did.”

Addison Russell, who made a spectacular catch in shallow left field and had his own impressive swim-move slide on a steal of second, was on first for the play and explained his view of it.

“Just trying to draw a throw over there,” Russell said. “You’ll see [Báez] on the basepaths, ‘Hey, get a big lead,’ because he’s reading that body language and he does it well.

“It’s a beautiful play. You have to the right players in that position. Javy’s like the top candidate for that one.”

Javier Báez went to his bag of tricks again on Wednesday with his second steal of home this season. (Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports)

With All-Star Game voting closing Tuesday, there’s been buzz that Báez could be one of the team’s representatives in Washington, D.C. Seeing that type of talent on a big stage is exactly what MLB should be trying to promote. Who wouldn’t want to watch one of the most exciting players in the game today perform in a showcase event?

“Who’s more exciting to watch than he?” Maddon asked. “There’s others. I love [Francisco] Lindor, I think they’re kind of kindred spirits the way they play the game. [Carlos] Correa with Houston and others. But he is in that, I’d say, top 10. Kind of part of the Rat Pack from back in the day. You had to go to Vegas to see him. He’s one of those guys. He sashayed in with Sinatra and the boys. That’s how he plays baseball.”

There are few who can play like Báez, but right now it seems as though everyone wants to mimic him.

“I feel like a lot of people want to follow me and play the way I play,” Báez said. “It’s being you, to be honest. I go out there to have fun, to do the best for my teammates and play hard. Obviously, like I say all the time, I’m not trying to show anybody up. But I’m trying to do the best for my team, too.”

And Maddon doesn’t want to keep Báez from doing exactly that. Most would see that moment — men on the corners, nobody out with a hot batter in Contreras up — and wonder why Báez would take such a chance. They’re not wrong to wonder; Maddon even admitted that’s not the ideal situation and they were talking about it on the bench. But he also pointed out that nothing is given in this game and sometimes you have to push the envelope. Báez doesn’t wait for things to happen. He makes them happen.

“How many times have we left a runner on third base with less than two outs over the last several years?” Maddon said. “There’s nothing to assume. I do not want to restrict him. I do not want to restrict us. It was a big moment for us today.”

From the moment he arrived in Chicago, Maddon has always made it clear that he wants his players to be themselves. Sometimes mistakes will happen, but Maddon has continually said he’ll never criticize a player for a physical mistake or for being too aggressive. That’s part of what makes the Cubs special.

“When Joe got here, that’s one of the first things he said,” Báez said. “If you feel sexy, wear it. Everybody is like that.”

So is stealing home sexy?

“Yes, it is,” Báez said with a smile.

(Top photo by David Banks/Getty Images)