The Atlanta Braves won Game 3 of the 2021 World Series on Friday night, with five pitchers combining to shut out the Houston Astros. The Braves, who now hold a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series, were just six outs away from notching the second no-hitter in World Series history.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be, as Tyler Matzek surrendered a bloop single to Houston's Aledmys Díaz to lead off the eighth inning that fell between two Atlanta defenders, in left fielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Here's a look at the play, for those who missed it:
If your first thought was "that should've been caught," well … that's a fair assertion. According to Statcast's calculations, Díaz's ball had an 85 percent catch probability. After the game, Rosario provided the following explanation as to why it wasn't caught.
"I started charging it hard right away, and I noticed Dansby was charging hard as well, and he had his back to the ball," he told reporters. "Obviously, we're both trying to make a play on the ball. When I knew I had a beat on it, I was trying to say, 'I got it, I got it.' Obviously, I knew Dansby couldn't hear me, so at the last minute, knowing we couldn't communicate, I wanted to make sure I avoided any collision between the two of us. So I just kind of eased up on it right there."
For those scoring at home, this is the ever-rare instance of home-field advantage being deemed a negative. Rosario's explanation is sensible, though, and the Braves would probably prefer to give up a single than risk losing either him or Swanson because of an injury suffered in a collision (to barely consider where the baserunner might've ended up had the two ran into one another).
As such, Rosario shouldn't feel too bad. Besides, the Astros later recorded another hit in the ninth, minimizing the significance of Díaz's blooper, and besides, the Braves still won the game to take command of the series.
