The Atlanta Braves on Monday night pulled off a white-knuckled 5-4 comeback win over the Philadelphia Phillies in NLDS Game 2. The outcome evened the series at 1-1, and the contest by any standard achieved "instant classic" status. No instant classic is complete without a standout defensive highlight, and Braves center fielder Michael Harris II authored such a moment in the top of the ninth inning.
With the Braves clutching that one-run edge and Bryce Harper on first base as the potential tying run with one outs, Nick Castellanos appeared to come up big.
He turned on a Raisel Iglesias fastball and sent it 392 feet to right center, 100.8 mph off the bat. The quality of contact was such that the ball had an expected batting average of .610. Working against those implied odds was Harris, who snared Castellanos' drive with a leap in front of the wall and then heaved the ball back infield-ward for the double play.
Let's roll the tape:
Michael Harris called game! 😤#AsOneATL pic.twitter.com/0nJitH7rmk
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 10, 2023
If Harris doesn't come up with that ball, then it's a tie game, and Castellanos is in scoring position. As for Harper's aggressive base running on the play, it was defensible given the situation -- down by a run in the ninth -- and given how well Castellanos hit the ball. Here's a 3-D look at Harper's route on the base-paths:
Tracking Bryce Harper's baserunning on the Braves' game-ending double play
— David Adler (@_dadler) October 10, 2023
You can see where he is when Harris makes the catch pic.twitter.com/tohXeFCG72
Harper was already past second base when Harris made the catch, but he still likely would've been able to scamper back to safety had Austin Riley not made the heads-up play to corral the ball after it got past Ozzie Albies and get it to first base.
To hear Harper tell it, it was a calculated risk on his part.
"He made a good play," Harper told reporters. "You know, I probably shouldn't have gone over second base. But I made a decision, and I'll live with that. ...Just taking a chance. Michael made a great play and doubled me up. Tough way to end it."
"Tough way to end it."
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 10, 2023
Bryce Harper on the final play of Game 2: pic.twitter.com/692ZQx38RT
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked about it post-game by Tim Kelly:
Should Bryce Harper have stopped at second base and waited to see if Michael Harris caught the ball? I asked Rob Thomson that after the game. pic.twitter.com/wMPN6hqaUr
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) October 10, 2023
Thomson said:
"Usually you don't pass the base. You stay in front of it, make sure it's not caught. But he thought the ball was clearly over his head, didn't think he was going to catch it. And Harris made an heck of a play. Unbelievable. He tried to get back, and he slipped, but usually you stay in front of the second base."
You can probably characterize that as "soft, diplomatic criticism," but, again, Harper's aggressiveness is defensible given the situation and the stakes.
Wherever you come down on that debate, Harris with Riley in supporting role pulled off a game-saver of a defensive play. For Atlanta, it may be a season-saver of a play.