Nate Eaton had just started to head away from home plate as the ball slipped past Ben Rice, creating a chance for the Red Sox to take the lead in the seventh inning on Tuesday.
Instead, it left spectators puzzled about why the quick outfielder hadn’t scored, missing what could have been a crucial run.
This moment turned out to be a potential “what if” scenario for the series when Boston loaded the bases later but still faced a one-run loss.
“It was a crucial play, for sure. We didn’t capitalize,” Eaton remarked following a 4-3 defeat in Game 2.
Game 3 on Thursday might decide whether Eaton’s play will forever haunt him as a missed opportunity for the Yankees.
The Red Sox also gifted the Yankees an unexpected run earlier in the game, when a play in the fifth inning led to confusion.
With two outs in a tied seventh inning, Yoshida hit a ground ball that Jazz Chisholm managed to stop.
Instead of holding onto the ball, Chisholm threw to first, but Rice couldn’t handle the catch, and Eaton was rounding third as Boston’s coach urged him to keep moving towards home.
Interestingly, Yankees’ third baseman Ryan McMahon didn’t cover his base, easing Eaton’s concerns about potential backthrows.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora seemed to defend Eaton when questioned after the game about whether he should have scored, suggesting it’s easy to judge from the outside.
“I think it’s simple to say he could have scored,” Cora stated. “They’re not in the heat of the moment with us.”
Even with the bases loaded afterward, Trevor Story faced bad luck, hitting a powerful line drive that was caught just shy of the wall.
The Yankees capitalized on the chance to win, with Chisholm scoring a game-winning run off Austin Wells’ two-out RBI single in the eighth inning.
Chisholm’s performance was pivotal, as his defensive skills stopped Eaton from making an easy run.
“He saved two runs with that play, because if it gets through, JD scores,” Cora noted. “He made a play on it and stopped the potential for more runs.”
