Triple whammy as
HOUSTON – It’s one of the unwritten rules in baseball: never make the first or third out at third base. But Brett Gardner did just that in the third inning of the Yankees’ 2-1 loss to the Astros in Game 2 of the ALCS on Saturday, getting thrown out as he tried to stretch a double into a triple for the final out of the frame.
“I can’t be out right there,” Gardner said after the game. “I was mad at myself for just continuing to go and I’m mad at myself for not making my turn around second base like I normally do. My steps were a little bit messed up and it just didn’t feel perfect.”
The Astros executed a perfect relay to get Gardner: from Josh Reddick to Carlos Correa to Alex Bregman. Third-base coach Joe Espada was waving Gardner to third.
“I think he’s trying to get him to third knowing that (Justin) Verlander bounces some balls from time to time,” Joe Girardi said. “But yes, in hindsight, we probably should’ve held him up. But it’s a split-second decision on Joe’s part. It happens.”
Added Gardner: “He was waving me. If I had come around second base like I normally would’ve, I would’ve been safe and it wouldn’t have been an issue. But I was picking him up around second base, and it’s more on me than anything.”