At simply concerning the worst time, Addison Barger made a basic blunder.
Standing on second base within the ninth inning Friday and representing the tying run in Recreation 6 of the World Sequence, the second-year participant noticed Andres Gimenez loft an 81-mph looper towards left subject at Rogers Centre.
Barger thought the ball would discover grass, aggressively shifting about midway towards third base.
But it surely hung up.
Barger, standing in no-man’s land, didn’t have sufficient time to retreat.
Double play. Recreation over. Recreation 7, Saturday evening in Toronto.
“I used to be fairly shocked he received to it,” Barger mentioned after the 3-1 loss to the Dodgers, per ESPN. “Off the bat, I assumed it was going to go (proper) over the shortstop’s head. I didn’t assume it was going to journey that far.
“It was form of a foul learn.”
If the Blue Jays can’t high the Dodgers at dwelling Saturday evening, Barger’s baserunning mistake and the bad-luck ruling moments earlier than on his double that received caught beneath the wall will ceaselessly be Toronto “What ifs?”
Trailing, 3-1, within the ninth with a person on first and no outs, Barger hit a ball into the left-center hole that received caught beneath the wall, leading to a floor rule double.
Pinch runner Myles Straw scored simply on the play earlier than the umpires returned him to 3rd base to present the Blue Jays runners on second and third with no outs.
Tyler Glasnow retired Ernie Clement on a pop-up for the primary out. That’s when Gimenez stepped to the plate for his fateful at-bat.
The overhead view reveals Barger taking a robust lead throughout the pitch after which advancing even additional towards third base, whereas Dodgers left subject Kiké Hernandez got here in and caught the ball.
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Hernandez’s momentum taking him towards the bag and Barger’s momentum taking him the opposite manner, allowed the throw to beat the runner, with Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas making a pleasant snag.
“It’s a tricky learn. Kiké taking part in shallow and one out you’re considering rating. He made a extremely good play,” Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider mentioned. “It’s such a tweener. He made play, good throw. Good play by Rojas, too. Wild. Wild option to end it, for certain.”
Had Barger not been doubled up, the Blue Jays would have ALCS hero George Springer due up with an opportunity to doubtlessly finish the collection or no less than tie the sport.
As an alternative, they’ll solely hope that play isn’t one that can ceaselessly for the incorrect causes.
Stated Blue Jays infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to ESPN: “I assumed it was getting down 1,000 p.c.”
