Professional or not, athletes in every sport have blunders that are equivalent to those who play recreationally.
An example was found this past Friday in a game between AL West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
While the pre-game festivities during the Dodgers’ Pride Night took center stage thanks to the invitation tot the anti-Catholic protest group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, this game needed extra innings to determine a winner.
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Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts is tagged out at third by San Francisco Giants shortstop Casey Schmitt on a double steal attempt in the 11th inning at Dodger Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA Today Sports)
San Francisco got two runs in the top of the 11th to finally break the tie, making it a 7-5 game in their favor and needing just three more outs to take the win.
With the automatic runner on second base, there was already one out in the inning when Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts stepped to the plate. While he is certainly the man for the dramatic, his pop-up to third base wasn’t what he had in mind.
But that pop-up to Casey Schmitt at third turned into disaster quickly for the Giants… until it became disaster for the Dodgers.
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Schmitt wasn’t decisive enough when the pop-up was in the air, and after trying to go after it late, he dropped it.
To make matters worse, though, pitcher Jakob Junis picked the ball up and threw it over first baseman David Villar’s head. There was no reason to throw the ball with Betts already reaching first base.
But Betts got a little too overzealous on the base paths, which resulted in Los Angeles giving away their lucky moment the Giants had just created.
Michael Busch was on second base, and was working his way back there once the pop-up was dropped as he feared Schmitt could’ve caught it and doubled him up to end the game.
Casey Schmitt of the San Francisco Giants throws to first base for a second out in the seventh inning against the Dodgers on June 16, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
So, when Junis threw it away, Busch had turned third base to head home to make it a one-run game, but hit the brakes when he realized how quickly right fielder Mike Yastrzemski got the ball.
Betts didn’t notice that as he started chugging for third base.
In turn, a grand ol’ pickle started with both Busch and Betts trying to figure out what to do as the ball changed hands quickly for the Giants in the infield.
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Eventually, Busch was tagged out with Betts scurrying over to third base.
So, instead of scoring a run and having another chance to tie the game, the Dodgers had two outs and a runner on third. Freddie Freeman would end up striking out to end the game.
The whirlwind of emotions was a lot for the Dodger Stadium crowd, and it didn’t work in the home team’s favor, which made it less appealing to them.
Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium on June 14, 2023. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Nonetheless, baseball fans can rejoice knowing that even at the highest level, these athletes – though it rarely happens – are sometimes just like us.
