The 2004 ALCS swung on a stolen base in Game 4 and if the Rays are going to join that Red Sox team in MLB history, perhaps it will be a caught stealing that swings the series.
One of the pivotal plays in the 4-3 win in 12 innings in Tuesday’s Game 4 that got the Rays on the board in this series involved an agonizingly close overturned stolen base that instead ended a Milwaukee scoring threat in the top of the ninth inning in a 2-2 game.
Cooper Pratt has originally been ruled to have stolen second with two outs before video replay changed the call.
“There’s a caught stealing there that’s … really, really close. Maybe in season that’s a stands,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Who knows? We had a couple things not go our way in terms of calls — not saying they’re wrong, but I’m just saying we had a couple things really — running out of the baseline there the first run we gave up or second run, whatever. Come on.
“Look at it. The ump didn’t have it that way, and that’s part of it. We got some benefit of some things too sometimes.”
With Andrew Vaughn at the plate with two outs facing Rays closer Brian Baker, the Brewers attempted to get Pratt in position to potentially score on a bloop by having him steal.
A bang-bang play went in their favor at first before Rays manager Kevin Cash opted to challenge.
The Fox broadcast booth of Joe Davis and John Smoltz analyzed the slo-mo angle while they world awaited the verdict.
The slowed clip appeared to show second baseman Richie Palacios just getting Pratt before his leg touched the bag, although one could possibly argue it wasn’t conclusive.
“The first thing to know is the strings on the glove don’t count,” Davis said.
“I think the glove got the hand. How about the pressure on the two dudes sitting down in a little cramped closed telling Kevin Cash, ‘Challenge this.’”
New York officials ultimately saw enough to feel confident in reversing the call to end Milwaukee’s threat, setting the stage for the Rays’ heroics in the 12th.
After Pratt redeemed himself with a homer to take a 3-2 lead, an error followed by four straight hits gave the Rays the win and set up Wednesday’s Game 5.
“We weren’t knocking balls in the gap or knocking balls out of the ballpark,” Cash said. “We pieced together a big inning, maybe the most important inning of our season.
