Caleb Durbin was standing on second base as the winning run. Then he decided to go to third for no reason at all.
The Boston Red Sox played Tampa Bay on Saturday at Tropicana Field. Top of the ninth, score tied 1-1, and Durbin hit a one-out double to put himself in position to win the game. During Jarren Duran’s at-bat, he broke for third and was thrown out easily.
It Got Worse Immediately
Duran then hit a triple.
That is the whole story. If Durbin stays at second base, he jogs home on that triple and the Red Sox take the lead. Instead the inning stayed scoreless, Duran was stranded at third after Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out, and Tampa Bay walked off with the win in the bottom of the ninth.
There Was No Reason To Go
Break down the situation. Durbin was already in scoring position with one out. A left-handed batter was at the plate, which partially blocks the catcher’s throwing lane to third and makes the steal marginally easier. That is the only argument in favor, and it is not enough.
Stealing third with a runner already in scoring position in a tied game in the ninth inning is one of the worst risk-reward propositions in baseball. The upside is that a single instead of a double scores you. The downside is that you erase the go-ahead run.
Durbin has 19 stolen bases this season, so he is not a player without instincts on the bases. He simply picked the one moment where the aggression had nothing to gain.
This Is Why Boston Is a Wild Card Team
The Red Sox sit at 84-71 and look locked into the second American League Wild Card spot, which would set up a first-round series against the New York Yankees.
That is a real accomplishment and also the ceiling of a team that keeps finding ways to hand games away. Boston has already cost itself runs this season on a botched challenge. Games in September against a division rival fighting for the same October air are exactly where those mistakes compound.
What It Costs in October
The Wild Card round is three games. There is no margin for a runner deciding to freelance in a tied ninth inning.
Boston’s roster is good enough to beat the Yankees in a short series. It is not good enough to beat the Yankees while also beating itself, and Saturday was a reminder of which of those two problems the Red Sox have actually solved.
Durbin will be fine. The habit is the issue.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.