Blue Jays’ Addison Barger Explains Boneheaded Game 6 Baserunning Mistake
Game 6 of the World Series ended in a shocking blink of an eye as Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Kiké Hernández showed off his elite instincts by doubling off Toronto Blue Jays‘ Addison Barger at second base (and don’t forget about Miguel Rojas’ impressive scoop on the throw from Hernández).
The Blue Jays went from looking like they were about to win the World Series (men on second and third, no outs) to losing all of the momentum in the series heading into a Game 7.
And while Kiké’s iconic play will probably be played on repeat for decades to come, it was only made possible by a terrible baserunning blunder from Barger, who for some reason strayed far away from second base on a line drive with only one out.
Following the game, Barger was obviously asked about the mistake, and here’s what he had to say:
“I was being too aggressive, trying to score, you know, (trying) to tie up that game … he got a good read on the ball and made a good play.”
Barger also said (per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers) that he was surprised the ball didn’t drop. “I was pretty surprised he got to it,” Barger said. “Off the bat, I thought it was going to go over the shortstop’s head. I didn’t think it was going to travel that far. It was kind of a bad read.”
“Kind of a bad read” isn’t going to soothe Blue Jays fans who are still cringing hours later over the fact that George Springer was on deck in the ninth but never reached the plate, as a result of Barger’s blunder.
That being said, Barger has come up huge for Toronto on multiple occasions this postseason. One play does not a legacy make, and he’ll have opportunities in Game 7 to help his team win the World Series.
The Blue Jays, in general, have shown a special knack for moving on from bad moments and not letting those moments affect the next play. Barger already seems like he’s moved on, which is all you can and must do heading into a Game 7.