Juan Toribio
LOS ANGELES — As Jason Heyward hit a ball to the right-center-field hole, the group at Dodger Stadium erupted. For a second, it seemed as if the Dodgers had been going to get two runs on a double that will roll to the wall.
As a substitute, Rangers heart fielder Leody Taveras<\/a> was capable of reduce it off in deep right-center. A slight bobble from Taveras, nevertheless, helped create chaos on a game-ending play that resulted in rookie Andy Pages<\/a> being thrown out at dwelling plate — regardless of being held by third-base coach Dino Ebel — within the Dodgers\u2019 3-2 loss<\/a> to the Rangers on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
\u201cAs soon as Leo bobbled it, I [was] getting nervous there, however you understand these guys do such an awesome job on protection,\u201d mentioned Rangers supervisor Bruce Bochy. \u201cThat\u2019s only a lovely play with the sport on the road and it doesn\u2019t get higher than that. It was an thrilling recreation.\u201d
Pages, who had a baserunning mistake towards the Yankees over the weekend, mentioned he had made up his thoughts about making an attempt to attain as soon as he noticed Taveras bobble the ball in heart. The Cuban rookie outfielder mentioned he put his head down and by no means noticed Ebel, who was midway down the road, put up the cease signal.
Had Pages stopped at third, the Dodgers would have had the game-winning run in scoring place with the newly acquired Cavan Biggio<\/a> due up.
\u201cFrom the primary second, I knew I might get to 3rd. However as quickly as I noticed the middle fielder misplay it somewhat bit, I simply considered scoring that tying run,\u201d Pages mentioned in Spanish. \u201cYou study from these issues. Sadly, these issues should occur so that you can get higher.\u201d
After the sport, Pages had a dialog with first-base coach Clayton McCullough at his locker to additional talk about the play.
\u201cIt\u2019s a type of issues; you’ve a younger participant who doesn\u2019t have a whole lot of expertise, and also you run him on the market and that\u2019s how they study,\u201d mentioned Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts. \u201cNevertheless it nonetheless took an ideal throw and an executed relay, and so they made an awesome play.\u201d
For the Rangers, it was a play they desperately wanted to make so as to keep away from additional innings and utilizing extra pitchers heading into Thursday\u2019s sequence finale.
The important thing to the play got here from second baseman Marcus Semien<\/a>, who took the relay throw from Taveras in right-center discipline and fired an ideal strike to catcher Jonah Heim on the plate. Whereas all the eye was on Pages working by the cease signal, had Semien not made a powerful throw to the plate, the Dodgers would have tied the sport up at 3.
\u201cI needed Leody to get the ball to second if he caught it clear and it bought bobbled and I mentioned, \u2018Right here we go, we\u2019re in all probability going 4,\u2019\u201d Semien mentioned. \u201cIt seemed like Dino held him up at third, however he ran by it. I simply assumed he was going to run anyway, so it\u2019s positively feeling from that far on the market for me.\u201d
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As soon as Heim secured the throw, all he needed to do was slide a bit to his left to get Pages on the plate. After the play, the Dodgers challenged the decision on the sector to see if Heim had blocked the plate. A fast overview confirmed the Rangers\u2019 completely executed relay as an out. And in flip, Texas now has an opportunity to take a sequence at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
"Good catch by Jonah, good tag,\u201d Semien mentioned. \u201cHe's truly actually good at that. We had a situation like that last year in Chicago<\/a> the place he bought referred to as for blocking the plate, however he actually takes pleasure in ensuring he does it proper. He did it excellent right now."<\/p>\n