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The Tampa Bay Rays suffered a 10-1 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night in Game 3 of the World Series, falling behind 3-0 in the series. The pivotal moment came in the fifth inning when the Brewers exploded for eight runs, turning a 2-0 contest into a rout.
With two outs and runners on first and second, Brewers slugger William Contreras hit a ground ball to the left of third baseman Junior Caminero. Caminero fielded it cleanly but chose to throw to second base in an attempt to force out Christian Yelich and end the inning. Yelich was initially ruled out, but the call was overturned on review, loading the bases for Milwaukee.
Brice Turang followed with a two-run single, and the Brewers went on to plate eight runs in the frame, taking a commanding 10-0 lead. The decision to throw to second rather than first has been widely debated, but Caminero stood by his choice when speaking to reporters, including Mark Skol Jr. of FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
"Yeah, I already had in mind going to second base," Caminero said. "I knew the speed at first base wasn't necessarily the best in that situation, so going into the moment I was, you know, once I got the ground ball I was going to second base all the way."
The ground ball carried Caminero toward second, making the throw to the bag seem natural. Still, the outcome leaves Rays fans wondering whether a throw to first could have prevented the disastrous inning and possibly a 0-3 hole in the World Series.
Key Analysis
Caminero's explanation highlights the split-second decisions that can define a game. While his reasoning was sound—Contreras is not known for blazing speed—the overturned call proved costly. The play will be scrutinized as a turning point in a game that slipped away from Tampa Bay, adding to the frustration of a 3-0 series deficit.
Originally reported by yahoo.