Game on the line. Arozarena got anxious.
That may have been all she wrote.
There was their chance. But theyâve blown a couple tonight. Having 1B and 3B with nobody out and not being able to punch a run in may be the crux of this Series.
I note the Dodgersâ propensity for producing ninth inning penis stomps and take heart.
Thatâs it for tonight and the series in all likelihood.
Rays had some chances that they failed to cash in.
LA punished enough mistakes to make it work.
The more I thought about the attempted steal of home, the more I think it was a good move.
Ballsy for sure.
But TB needed something, and timely 2 out hits have been LAâs thing, game 4 notwithstanding.
To put it another way: to win the series the Rays were gonna need more than just the 9th inning of game 4. Donât fault them for trying to make their own luck.
He also had a good chance of forcing a balk. I liked the attempt too.
And he was safe.
I thought he was safe also, but it was very close.
CC Sabathia said on his podcast that Kershaw made a great play to not only avoid the balk, but to throw home without taking a glance at the runner, and that split second got him the out. He also joked that Pettitte âabsolutely would have balked.â
I watched the replay looking for a balk. No balk. He stepped back off the rubber and made a quick and accurate throw to the perfect spot for a catch and tag. Kershaw made an incredible recovery from what must have been a total surprise mad dash by the runner at the exact right time in Kershawâs elongated stretch. That had to be a well thought out and practiced move.
I heard from He Who Shall Not Be Namedâs Breakdown of it that in that exact situation since Kershaw is fully aware he canât see/look at 3rd at all from that funky stance, heâs asked Muncy to be his alarm system for runners on 3rd.
In said breakdown, Munch is the one who immediately starts yelling and pointing home as soon as Margot breaks home and Kershaw immediately steps off and fires home.
Kershaw played that pretty much perfectly. And it was still so close the call on the field stands, no matter which way it went. A coordinated move with the runners would have had the runner at 1B taking off to try to draw a throw, but that was clearly just Margotâs idea. I like the risk too. After standing there for two outs, and a lefty up against Kershaw, you try to make something happen. It didnât work. But I love the effort. It was a responsible gamble.
Agreed, it was a turning point in the game, and turning decidedly against the Rays. Well worth the gamble to try to change the dynamic.
I am going to watch said breakdown today, Mark. His stretch invites an attempt to steal home, and preventing the possibility had to have been discussed and practiced.
Made this comment to Mark earlier today about the play we are discussing:
Reminded me of the iconic photo you may have seen of Robinson stealing home and Berra ready to apply the tag. When the Ump called âsafe,â Yogi went batshit crazy.
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Yep. Bat. Shit. Crazy.
Nice first inning by the RaysâŚdonât understand why Meadows is not on 3rd after the wild pitch.
Dodgers win the award for the worst stretches used by pitchers in the history of baseball.
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