Magicians often go on sports shows to wow athletes. But sometimes, it’s the athlete who is the magician. That’s the case with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman, who showed off his magic skills recently for the Canadian sports channel SPORTSNET.
Tyler performs a Chicago Opener for a SPORTSNET host, who is suitably impressed when her chosen card, the Five of Spades, ends up with a blue back in a red-backed deck. But wait, there’s more. Tyler says, “Just like there’s a first and second half of baseball, there’s a second half of this act.”
And boom! The “blue-backed” Five of Spades resting on the bench between them transforms into her second chosen card, the Queen of Diamonds.
Tyler’s interest in magic also earned him a brief spot on CBC News Toronto, where he said he got into magic back in 2015 when he was playing in the Dominican Republic.
“I was pretty bored,” he said. “I didn’t know the language and didn’t really venture out too much.”
Tyler decided to learn some magic tricks to connect with his teammates. On the Blue Jays, he’s reportedly known as the clubhouse magician—a performer on and off the field.