Addison Barger owns a ‘bad read’ that leads to a World Series loss in Game 6
Toronto Blue Jays right player Addison Barger admitted to a key baserunning error it contributed the team’s 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday night. The loss forced a winner-take-all Game 7, leaving Toronto one win away from the franchise’s first championship since 1993.
Barger fired up the Rogers Center crowd in the ninth inning with a ground-rule double to left center, putting runners in scoring position with no outs. Pinch runner Myles Straw, who replaced catcher Alejandro Kirk after he was hit by a pitch, advanced to third base.
The Blue Jays, down by two runs, were positioned for a dramatic potential late rally, with George Springer on deck. Toronto’s odds at that point jumped from an expected 8.9% at the start of the inning to 43% with runners on second and third and no outs, according to available metrics.
However, the potential equalizer never materialized. Barger, trying to score on a line drive by Andres Gimenez, misjudged the ball, thinking it would drop for a shallow single. Los Angeles left fielder Enrique Hernandez made the catch and Barger, who was too far away from second base, was easily doubled to end the game.
“I was pretty surprised he made it,” Barger he said after. “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.”
The sequence followed Barger’s ground-rule double earlier in the inning, when the ball landed at the base of the left-center field. Hernandez and Dodgers center fielder Justin Dean signaled the obstruction, and umpire John Tumpain called a double, sending Barger back to second and Straw to third.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in Tyler Glasnow to face Gimenez after Ernie Clement’s first pitch, setting up a high-impact matchup. Gimenez hit the line at an expected .710 average, but Hernandez made the catch and Barger’s misstep closed out Game 6 for Toronto.
The Blue Jays will win Game 7 on Saturday with Max Schetzer starting, likely facing Shohei Ohtani in the opener role.
2025-11-01 08:37:00
