The Astros' pick-off attempt in the wild 10th inning hit an umpire and might have saved their season
- With the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Houston Astros closer Chris Devenski tried picking off Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Enrique Hernandez at second base.
- The pick-off attempt was wide right of second base, but it hit the umpire, stopping what would have been a wild throw into left-center.
- If the ball had not hit the umpire, Hernandez may have gotten to third base and even home plate, winning the game for the Dodgers.
A bizarre play in the Houston Astros' Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series might have saved the Astros' season.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, after the Astros hit back-to-back home runs to go up 5-3, the Dodgers answered right back with a solo home run by Yasiel Puig and an RBI double by Enrique Hernandez that tied the game.
With Hernandez on second base, Astros closer Chris Devenski attempted to pick off Hernandez but missed wildly. The ball instead hit the umpire at second base as Hernandez scrambled back to the bag safely while players checked to see if the umpire was okay.
Play resumed shortly after and the Astros managed to get the third out of the inning, sending the game into the 11th inning.
As the color analyst John Smoltz noted afterward, had the ball gotten by the umpire, it was heading for left-center, and definitely would have gotten Hernandez to third base. Had the ball gone far enough, Hernandez might have scored, thus ending the game and putting the Astros in a 2-0 series hole.
It was a game of wacky events. The Astros might argue that the Dodgers got a lucky bounce in the top of the third inning that saved the Dodgers (at the time). With the bases loaded, Alex Bregman hit a deep ball to left-center. Dodgers centerfielder Chris Taylor dove for the ball and missed, but the ball hit his cap and bounced right to left fielder Joc Pederson. Only one run scored on the play and the Dodgers got out of the inning trailing only 1-0.
The fireworks continued in the 11th inning when the Astros added two more runs with the help of a homer from George Springer. Leading 7-5 in the bottom of the 11th, the Dodgers responded with a solo home run from Charlie Sulberson. However, Devenski struck out Puig to end the game and seal the win for the Astros.