The Brewers turned one of the most improbable double plays in MLB postseason history on Monday night, thanks to some abysmal baserunning from Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández.
An attempted home run robbery from Sal Frelick ultimately resulted in an incredibly rare 8-6-2 double play, the first of its kind in the history of the MLB playoffs, thanks to an abundance of confusion on the base paths during the fourth inning of Game 1. In short, Hernández failed to score from third base despite the ball being live at the center field wall after Frelick failed to come up with the heroic home run robbery.
Hernández addressed the incident on Tuesday, and he didn't mince words while taking ownership of his mistake.
"I f---ed up," said Hernández, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Hernández said that he's watched the replay of the incident and said he was entirely to blame for the mistake he made on the bases.
On the play in question, Hernández was thrown at out the plate after Frelick gathered the ball and rifled it to the cutoff man, Joey Ortiz. Hernández should have left third base the moment the ball hit Frelick's glove, but he remained on the base for far too long, enabling the defense to throw him out at home.
Milwaukee was then able to get the force out at third base, because catcher Will Smith had run back to second as if the runners needed to tag up.
It was a confusing play, to say the least, but Hernández acknowledged the significance of his mistake and took accountability for not getting the run home. Ultimately, the Dodgers were able to edge out a 2–1 victory over the Brewers, but they'd have gotten some crucial insurance runs in the fourth had Hernandez been more alert on the base paths.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Teoscar Hernández Addresses Baserunning Gaffe That Led to Brewers' Wild Double Play.
