PHILADELPHIA – The odds of escaping a no-out, bases-loaded jam are long. Add the pressure of facing the problem in the ninth inning of a World Series game on the road, and those odds get a lot longer.
Yet when Grant Balfour got Carlos Ruiz to top a ball down the third-base line, the Rays believed they had a chance to at least extend the inning. Instead, they watched the Phillies race out of the first-base dugout at Citizens Bank Park to celebrate a 5-4 win in Game 3 of the World Series they lead, 2-1, going into tonight’s Game 4.
When third baseman Evan Longoria fielded the ball toward the line and about 40 feet from the plate, Eric Bruntlett was racing home. Longoria opted for an underhand toss to get the force, but he ball went over catcher Dioner Navarro’s head.
“It was one of those balls, a swinging bunt that worked out perfectly for them,” Balfour said. “If he hits it harder, it sets up a double play for us. There was nothing to do. It’s tough to defend that.”
Rays manager Joe Maddon tried to defend the inning by using five infielders; bringing Ben Zobrist from right field to stand on second base.
“It’s like watching on television, you can see the ball perfectly,” Zobrist said.
Watching Longoria field the ball instead of taking a chance it would drift foul, Zobrist said Longoria did the best he could.
“That was all Longo could do – it’s one of the toughest plays you will ever see,” Zobrist said.
The game ended with Longoria’s toss going over Navarro’s head, but it wasn’t the only weird play of the inning.
J.P. Howell hit Bruntlett with a 2-2 pitch to start the inning, and while pitching to Shane Victorino, uncorked a wild pitch that hit the brick wall behind the plate and came back to Navarro.
Navarro’s throw to second bounced into center field and Bruntlett scooted to third.
Maddon ordered the next two batters walked intentionally.
“I had strike one to Victorino and I tried to do too much with it,” Balfour said.
Navarro said his mistake was the placement of the throw, not the decision to unleash it.
“The ball came back to me and I had a play at second,” Navarro said. “I made a bad throw. I threw it good but off to the right. I should have thrown it to the left.”
As for Longoria letting the ball go foul, Maddon said that may not have happened.
“I don’t think it would have gone foul,” Maddon said. “The grass is relatively thick. I have no qualms about picking it up and doing what he did.” ?