Wild double play in the Dodgers vs Brewers game explained: What happened and why

Brewers CF Sal Frelick was the protagonist of the play and it took him a while to understand what exactly had happened. Fans were confused, players were wondering what had just happened and announcers claimed they had never seen anything like it.

Here’s what happened:

LA Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy is up to bat in the fourth inning with the bases loaded. There’s one out and Muncy crunches a pitch to centerfield that looks like it’s going to be a grand slam. The Brewers centerfielder Sal Frelick goes up to catch the fly ball and robs the home run, but he doesn’t catch the ball. The ball hits his glove and then hits the wall, which basically turns the play into a long ground ball.

What?

The ball is no longer a fly ball if it hits a player and then the wall, in this case. Even though he prevents the ball from hitting the ground, it is not a fly out, it’s as if the ball had been hit to him on the ground. So, what does that mean for the runners?

Remember, the Dodgers had runners at first, second and third and the ball, now considered a “ground ball” is 400 feet away from home in Frelick’s glove. Imagine the scenario if the ball was hit on the ground in the infield. What would the runners do? They are “forced” to run to the next base. They don’t have to tag up and therefore the defense only has to get the ball to a base for a force out before the runner gets to that base, whether it’s first, second, third or home.

In all of the confusion, the Dodgers runners go back to their bags to tag up, thinking the fly ball has been caught. Meanwhile Frelick throws the ball to his cut off man who then relays it home to the catcher. The Brewers catcher, the real hero in this play, catches the ball and doesn’t tag the runner coming from third because now it’s force play. He catches the ball with his foot on home, which gets the out.

Meanwhile, the other runners now are “forced” to advance. Muncy, the hitter, essentially hit a long ground ball. The at-bat would later be ruled a fielders choice. Muncy goes to first. Tommy Edman, who was on first, goes to second. No problem so far. But, Will Smith, in all of the confusion, stayed on second base and didn’t advance. Contreras, Milwaukee’s catcher, after making the play at home, runs the ball down to third base, steps on the bag and gets Smith out at third base, for an inning-ending double play.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before,” Brewers DH Christian Yelich said. “It’s just one of those really weird, freak plays.”

After minutes of confusion, the umpires, who did an excellent job of calling the play and handling the situation, managed to explain what had happened to the Dodgers coaching staff and players, who had no idea what was going on.

Related stories

MLB

The historic deal between STRAUSS and the MLB

MLB

The glory of the pennant race

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.