The Los Angeles Dodgers held off a late Toronto Blue Jays rally to safe a 3-1 win in Sport 6 of the World Collection, night the sequence at three video games apiece and organising a winner-takes-all Sport 7 on Saturday night time.
The competition resulted in dramatic vogue when Blue Jays shortstop Andres Gimenez lined right into a game-ending double play.
Charging ahead, Hernandez snatched the ball in left subject and fired to second base, the place Miguel Rojas made a clear choose on Addison Barger, who had strayed too removed from the cease because the potential tying run.
Gimenez’s liner got here off Tyler Glasnow, making a uncommon bullpen look, and for a break up second it appeared destined to drop in for a game-tying hit that might have seen each pinch runner Myles Straw from third, and maybe Barger from second recover from the road.
Hernandez reacted immediately although, sprinting in to make the seize earlier than unleashing an off-balance throw to Rojas, who caught it in time to double up Barger.
The play was reviewed and confirmed, sealing the Dodgers’ season-saving victory.
He credited a uncommon second of silence from the roaring crowd for serving to him observe the ball.
“I used to be simply anticipating him hitting the ball prefer to the left aspect of the sector and simply taking part in shallow, making an attempt to maintain the runner at second base from scoring,” Hernandez stated.
“However for a split-second, as Glasnow threw the ball, the gang bought quiet, and I used to be in a position to hear that the bat broke. So, I simply bought a very good soar on the ball, and I got here in.”
All of the runs got here within the third inning. Mookie Betts capped a three-run Dodgers rally with a two-run single, whereas George Springer’s RBI base hit pulled one again for Toronto.
On the mound, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Kevin Gausman reprised their Sport 2 duel, every working six sturdy innings earlier than turning the sport over to their bullpens.
The pitchers on each side traded zeros till the ninth, when chaos briefly threatened to undo the Dodgers’ efforts.
Roki Sasaki started the inning by hitting Alejandro Kirk with a pitch, prompting Straw to take over as a pinch runner.
Then Barger launched a drive to deep left that originally appeared like a game-tying extra-base hit. The ball rocketed off the bat at 106 mph and appeared destined for the wall, however as an alternative lodged itself beneath the padding on the warning observe.
Centre fielder Justin Dean raised his arms to sign the ball was caught, however Hernandez urged him to behave quick.
“I used to be simply screaming at him to get the ball and throw it in as a result of that’s the umpire’s discretion,” Hernandez stated.
“The truth that the ball caught there doesn’t imply that they’re really going to name ground-rule double. So, I used to be screaming at him. That’s form of why I’ve misplaced my voice just a little bit.”
As confusion unfold, Barger circled the bases and crossed residence, and the gang erupted, believing the sport was tied.
However left-field umpire John Tumpane had known as time instantly, ruling the ball a ground-rule double and sending Straw again to 3rd.
“Been right here a very long time,” stated Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider. “I haven’t seen a ball get lodged, ever. Simply caught a tricky break there.”
After a short delay and replay affirmation, Glasnow entered for Sasaki, throwing solely a handful of warm-up pitches earlier than getting Ernie Clement to come out on his first providing.
Two pitches later, Gimenez lined into Hernandez’s glove, and historical past.
“Keep up within the air. Keep up within the air,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated of his ideas in that second.
“And Kike simply will get nice jumps. He’s one in all my favorite baseball gamers to look at. He’s one of many headiest baseball gamers I’ve ever been round.”
The Dodgers grew to become simply the eighth crew in World Collection historical past to show a game-ending double play whereas going through elimination, and the primary because the 1972 Cincinnati Reds.
Now, after six fiercely contested video games, the Fall Basic will come down to at least one ultimate night time.