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This Field-Level View of the Braves’ Clutch Double Play Is Outstanding

Here is another angle of the game-winning double play the Braves made in Game 2 against the Phillies.
This Field-Level View of the Braves’ Clutch Double Play Is Outstanding
This Field-Level View of the Braves’ Clutch Double Play Is Outstanding

The final play of Game 2 between the Braves and Phillies is kind of play that you can watch over and over again. Luckily, because it’s the postseason, it was captured from all sorts of angles—each of which is better than the last

In case you somehow missed it, the game ended on a dramatic double play by Atlanta. Center fielder Michael Harris II made a leaping catch at the wall on a deep fly ball hit by Nick Castellanos. Bryce Harper, who had taken off from first after Castellanos hit the ball, needed to hustle back to the base to avoid being doubled up. Harris’s throw back to the infield was slightly off line, so Harper might have made it back safely if not for a smart play by Austin Riley, who was backing up the cutoff man, Ozzie Albies. Riley corralled Harris’s errant throw and fired to first to retire Harper and end the game. 

Here’s what it looked like on TV, and here’s what it looked like from a camera in the right field corner. But this last angle might be the best of them all. It was filmed from third base line and it shows the crowd erupt once the call at first is made. 

The video also shows just how far Harper had gone before Harris made the catch. He was getting ready to round second when the first out was made and had reverse direction so quickly that he stumbled. He sprinted as hard as he could back toward first, but it was too late. Riley’s head’s up play had Harper out by a mile. 

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland writes Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, and is the host of the “Stadium Wonders” video series. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).