In a baseball game, the most meaningful plays are often obvious. A game-tying home run. A walk-off hit. A terrific catch. A costly error. But inside of these plays are tiny details only noticed by those who live and breathe this game. There are many split-second decisions that go into certain moments.
This was the case when Stuart Fairchild scored from first base to tie the game on Michael Harris II’s double in the bottom of the ninth inning of Atlanta’s 2-1 win over the Reds in 10 innings on Tuesday at Truist Park. The man in the middle, Fairchild, played for the Reds before the Braves acquired him to add an outfielder on the day Jurickson Profar was suspended for using a banned substance.
On its face, this moment was about Harris, a struggling hitter, smoking a baseball to help the Braves tie the game in a massive situation. He hits the ball, Fairchild flies around the bases and slides under the tag at home.
But if you dig into the details, the play becomes even more interesting because of third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo’s thought process, and how Fairchild was in sync with every part of it.
First, the big-picture view from Fairchild, who sprinted from first to home against his former team.
“I didn’t think I got a great jump just because I was trying to not get my head taken off by that hit by Michael, so I kind of froze for a split second,” he said. “But once it got past me, I’m full speed ahead and at that point, it’s run as hard as you possibly can and pick up the third base coach. He sent me, so I went.”
Harris roped a double to right field. Cincinnati’s Jake Fraley cut off the ball at the warning track … but threw it toward second base.
This is the key detail.
This is what Tuiasosopo saw.
“I was hoping the ball got all the way to the wall, and then he cut it off,” Tuiasosopo said. “And it was like, I could feel Stu running really hard, so credit to him for just how hard he was running. And then once I saw the throw go toward second and they didn’t set up to come home at all, I saw the ball’s flight going toward second, I just said, ‘Let’s go.’ Just one of those gut feels where I just felt like we had a chance with where they were throwing the ball and how hard Stu was running, that he (could score).”
Ideally, Fraley’s throw should’ve gone toward first base so the first baseman could sling it home. Fairchild was the tying run. The Reds needed to prevent it at all costs. Instead, Fraley threw it to second baseman Matt McLain, who caught it and paused for a brief second.
That second made all the difference.
Without it, Fairchild likely would’ve been out at home. But as Tuiasosopo hoped, the Braves caught McLain and the Reds off guard. They expected Fairchild to stay at third. But Tuiasosopo sent him.
“When I looked back at the play, it looked like McLain at second didn’t anticipate me going,” Fairchild said. “He caught the ball and then turned slowly around and then realized I was going home, and that’s when he fired it in. So I think Tui sending me kind of caught everyone off guard. I’m kind of assuming that Tui kind of saw the ball from Fraley come more toward second base rather than right down the first-base line toward home.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
And what’s the preferred play by an outfielder in this case?
“I mean, to be completely honest, as an outfielder, I think in that situation, you’re cutting home no matter what and then the cut-off man can then redirect to second if need be,” said Fairchild, an outfielder himself.
Then there’s the slide. Fairchild had to reach in and touch home before Reds catcher Jose Trevino tagged him.
This brings us to an unlikely hero: Drake Baldwin, who was on deck to pinch-hit.
“My eyes were not even on the ball coming in,” Fairchild said. “I saw Trevino, the catcher, standing up, and he was kind of deking like he wasn’t about to get the ball. I think it was Baldy who was on deck and he was telling me to ‘Get down! Get down! Get down!’ And I’m glad he did, because Trevino was selling that the ball wasn’t coming in. When I saw Baldy do that, I knew I was going to have to dive there because it was going to be a bang-bang play.”
The context makes this even better: Fairchild, a bench player, has 20 at-bats all season. He’s appeared in 11 games, but has only started two of them. He’s the last man off the bench. To have this moment? Incredible. This was a true team win.
The Braves tied the game when Fairchild slid in safely. In the top of the 10th inning, Raisel Iglesias threw up a zero that allowed Marcell Ozuna to win it with a walk-off single in the bottom half. Ozuna was fueled by the Reds intentionally walking Austin Riley ahead of him.
Credit: Butch Dill/AP
Credit: Butch Dill/AP
The victory also made Chris Sale’s terrific start count. Sale threw 6 2/3 shutout innings. He struck out 10 batters and walked two. He was brilliant.
And on Tuesday, Sale notched his 300th career start – he’s one of 11 active pitchers to do this. He also eclipsed 2,000 career innings, becoming the fifth active pitcher to accomplish the feat.
Sale is not about himself, but these accomplishments are evidence of a tremendous career – especially when you consider he’s had multiple seasons derailed by injuries. Still, Sale is one of the elite arms of his era.
“I appreciate those things,” Sale said. “I really do. I don’t want to sit up here and talk about myself a whole lot. But I appreciate the path that I got to get here to this point. Some of it was easy, some of it was really not. And just thankful for all my teammates, all my coaches, the fanbases, the family – and the training staff, I spent a lot of time in there. I’m just more thankful for the people that helped me get to this point. And I guess it kind of makes me feel a little old too.”
Added manager Brian Snitker: “It seems like we’re throwing every ball out because he’s surpassing somebody or reaching another milestone. It just speaks volumes to the career that the man’s had and how he’s persevered through a lot of injuries and all that. I’ve got so much respect for that guy and how he goes about it, the teammate he is, the professional (he is), just how competitive (he is). It’s a lot of fun being on his team.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Despite how well he pitched, Sale left during a scoreless tie. Around a week before this, the Braves wasted his great start in Colorado.
They made this one count
There were a few key moments, but none larger than Harris’ double, Fairchild’s sprint and Tuiasosopo’s send.
“It was a great send by Tui,” said Snitker, a former third base coach. “That’s kind of the fun part of being a third base coach, when those guys force your hand because they’re running so hard. And he was. He was flying.”
“I mean, you gotta tip your cap to Tui too there, having the whatever-you-want-to-call-it to send him,” Sale said. “And Stu just giving everything he’s got. You never know when you’re going to get an opportunity, and for him to get that opportunity and just go hammer down with everything he’s got, laid it all out there at the end to get under that tag. That saved the game.”
When Fraley chased down the baseball in right field after Harris smoked it, Tuiasosopo stood in foul territory between third base and home plate watching the play. He saw the ball go toward second. He felt Fairchild flying toward third base.
He had a gut feeling.
It worked out.
“It feels good,” Tuiasosopo said. “But that play doesn’t happen if Stu’s not running as hard as he is. Great job by him of just getting after it and giving us a chance to make that call. Because I could feel him getting closer to me, I could see where they were throwing the ball, and I was like, ‘We have a chance here if he can just close it out.’ And he did. It always feels good when that roar comes from the fans and obviously you see that safe call.”
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