Just after midnight on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays stole Game 4 of the World Series in the most ridiculous series of errors ever.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had chosen to keep reliever Pedro Baez in after he blew a lead earlier in the game. The Dodgers had retaken the lead, but Baez blew it a second time, after which Roberts chose to use Kenley Jansen as his closer after a rookie finished the 8th, hopeful that Jansen could record a save and save his name. Classic example of the Dodgers' bullpen mismanagement.
Jansen struck out the Rays' first batter, and the scattered Dodger fans at Globe Life Park came to life, hoping that this would put them up 3-1 and set up Clayton Kershaw to bring home the trophy. But it was not to be. Keiermaier hit a broken-bat single, Wendle flied out, and Arozarena was walked. With two outs and two on, Brett Phillips came up. Of course, no one was worried. Phillips was one of the only two batters remaining on the Rays' roster, and he hadn't gotten a single hit in the postseason in two at-bats. But none of that mattered when he hit a looping double just past the infield, which Chris Taylor, playing center field due to Cody Bellinger's bad back, bobbled. Keiermaier scored. The ball went to first baseman Max Muncy, who threw home to Will Smith. Perhaps if Smith knew that Arozarena had slipped, he wouldn't have been in a hurry. As it happened, he thought he had to hurry, and the ball slipped out of his glove. Arozarena scored, pounding home plate with his fist, and just like that, the series was tied.
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