Teoscar Hernandez blames dramatic double play: ‘I F—-d it up’
Max Muncy was inches away from hitting a grand slam for the Los Angeles Dodgers to open the scoring in the National League Championship Series.
Little did he know his 404-foot drive instead would end the top of the fourth inning Monday night in one of the most incredible plays of this or any postseason.
“It’s definitely the worst fielder’s choice/double play I’ve ever hit in my life,” Muncy said after the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1.
Here’s how Muncy’s potential grand slam turned into an unusual 8-6-2 double play:
With the bases loaded and one out, Muncy hit a long drive to center field, where Sal Frelick jumped and reached over the wall in an attempt to make the catch.
The ball popped out of Frelick’s glove and hit the top of the fence before Frelick caught it in the air. Muncy wasn’t ruled out because the ball hit the wall, but the Dodgers’ runners scrambled back to their bases thinking the ball was caught on a fly.
“I didn’t see it hit the wall,” said Will Smith, who was on second base. “I just thought he kind of brought it back in and caught it.”
Frelick fired to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who quickly relayed a strike to catcher William Contreras. Aware a force was still in effect, Contreras alertly stretched for the throw with his right foot on home plate, rather than position himself for a tag that would have been necessary if the ball hadn’t hit the wall.
Contreras caught the ball before Teoscar Hernandez slid across the plate, forcing out Hernández after he had hesitated at third base.
“In the moment, I got blocked, I think. There’s not an explanation. I just f—-d that up,” Hernandez said, according to The Athletic. “It’s that simple. … There’s nobody to blame but myself.”
“Teo knows the rule. I think right there he had just a little bit of a brain fart, appreciating that when it does hit the glove, you can tag [up] “There it is. But then he made a mark, made it right, and then saw he didn’t catch it,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. [and] He came back. This was the mistake. But he owned it. After that, there’s nothing else you can do about it.”
After powering through home plate, Contreras smartly got up and ran to third to force out Smith as well.
Smith went back to second when he thought Frelick had hit a clean hit.
“From home, I had a good view of it,” Contreras said through an interpreter. “I could tell right away it hit the wall. And right away, as soon as it hit the wall, you know the ball was played live. The guys there did a great job doing what we needed to do to finish that game.”
As everything was unfolding, Frelick raised his arms with a questioning look on his face, wondering what exactly happened – unlike many fans.
The Dodgers challenged the call, but replay review confirmed the force home run and third on a more unusual double play to end the inning 8-6-2.
The referees called it correct in real time throughout the play.
“Honestly, I didn’t know they ruled it a no-go,” Roberts said. “I just wanted to clear up the whole situation. And then kind of make sure they got some big hits, which they did. And in the end, those guys and the rematch, the guys on the field did it right. They got it right.”
At 404 feet, it was the second-longest projected distance on a batted ball resulting in a double play since Statcast began tracking in 2015 — including regular season games. For Muncy, it was scored as a double play, even though the ball did not touch the ground.
The Elias Sports Bureau said there has not been an 8-6-2 doubleheader in the postseason in the past 35 years. These types of formal registration details are not always clear in records going back further.
The most recent 8-6-2 double play in the regular season involved a ball hit by Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa to Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. In April 2004 – although that ball ended up with a flag at the plate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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