If there’s one thing you’d expect a Major League Baseball pitcher to be able to accomplish consistently, it’s deliver a ball to a catcher. They don’t have to do it particularly well in comparison to other Major League pitchers, but presumably, these are people who have done it hundreds of thousands of times and should be able to do it in their sleep.
The Seattle Mariners, on the other hand, exist. The M’s flew to Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday night to face the Indians, and despite a strong performance by Yusei Kikuchi, the team appeared headed for extra innings after the bullpen couldn’t save them. After allowing an Amed Rosario single in the bottom of the 10th inning, the club decided to intentionally walk Jose Ramirez to load the bases and have force outs all over the field.
Then, with Harold Ramirez at the plate, he hit a sloppy grounder to Sewald. He only needed to get the force out at home, and OH MY DEAR GOD, HOW?
As a consequence, the Indians were victorious, 5-4. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but for the Mariners, it meant being on the losing end of a walk-off.
