On Baseball: Dodgers’ Rich Hill Owns a Gem All the More Rare for Its Flaw

After Mantilla reached base, Haddix faced two future Hall of Famers: Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron. But they were not the problem. Mathews sacrificed Mantilla to second, and Haddix walked Aaron intentionally. Then came Joe Adcock, another power hitter, who drove a pitch over the wall in right-center to win the game for Lew Burdette.

All that remained was the bookkeeping — and that got complicated. Aaron did not realize Adcock’s drive had cleared the fence, so he cut back to the Braves’ dugout when Mantilla scored, thinking the game was over. Adcock then passed Aaron on the bases, and both were declared out.

Photo

Josh Harrison after hitting his game-ending home run in extra innings.

Credit
Charles Leclaire/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

The umpire Frank Dascoli declared it a 2-0 Braves victory, but Warren Giles, the National League president, ruled that the score should be 1-0, and Adcock credited with a one-run double.

In any case, it was a bitter way for Haddix’s night to end, as it was for Hill on Wednesday. Last September in Miami, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts had…

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