In a close game between the Cubs and Braves with potential postseason implications, Atlanta starter Max Fried hit a patch of wildness in the second inning and walked the bases loaded around a David Bote strikeout. The free passes put Cubs pitcher Adbert Alzolay — the only guy named Adbert to ever play affiliated pro baseball, for what it’s worth — at the plate with one out and an unlikely shot at blowing the game open in the second.
Alzolay squared to bunt on Fried’s first pitch to him, implying that the Cubs called for a squeeze play. There are two types of squeeze play, you may know: The “suicide squeeze,” in which the runner on third base breaks for home before contact, and the “safety squeeze,” wherein he waits to make sure the bunt gets down before he commits.
This isn’t quite the suicide squeeze so much as the Darwin Award squeeze:
The rare 2-5-6 double play ended the Cubs’ bases loaded, one out threat. Fried settled in thereafter and pitched Atlanta to a 3-2 victory.
Thanks to /r/baseball for calling our attention to this clip.
