Cruz's poor effort cost Rangers and gives Freese the opportunity to make history

If Nelson Cruz makes a catch in game 6 that many high school players can make, the Rangers are World Champs...coasting back to the ball, weak effort on the jump (jump would have been unnecessary if he had gone full speed back to the fence) and then pulled up and looked afraid of hitting the fence....not a major league level play there. Wonder what Nolan Ryan thought of it? We saw what Feliz thought of it. I know it's game 7 on the road in a very tense moment, but it is the major leagues and I bet 75 other MLB outfielders would have caught it. You don't often get great outfield defense with the big stick. The ball hit the fence about waist high.
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I know David Freese is benefiting hugely from that misplay. If Cruz catches it, Freese's storybook tale never gets written (at least not this year). The two-run game-tying triple is an out, the 11th inning walkoff never happens, the 2-run double in game 7 and the great catch along the third base dugout never happen. Freese was solid early in the Series and huge and very clutch at the end, but he has to thank Nelson Cruz for giving him the stage to make history....and he took full advantage.​

 

No doubt. The warning track & approaching fence spooked Cruz big-time.

 

Low and Slow i totally agree with you. I was surprised that the tv guys did not mentioned that. The ball was hit good, but that should have been a routine play, that is probably made by 95 percent of good ball players from high school on up. I also thought that Texas pitchers had that deer in the headlights look in the later innings of that game. I was pulling for texas but the cardinals did a great job of never quitting from september , all the way to the championship.

 

Yeah, Pirates....they spent 3 days talking about a bullpen phone, but not much mention of a play that could have delivered the series to Texas. All credit to Freese and the Cardinals...what he did and they did was just awesome. I think maybe the Cruz misplay will sting for quite awhile for Rangers fans...compare Cruz's effort to that of Josh Hamilton in an earlier game crashing into the LF wall at full speed catching the ball right at the moment of impact. If Cruz had gone full speed back to the fence he wouldn't even had to jump...just settle and catch it and celebrate the championship with his teammates.

Endy Chavez should have been in there for defense...remember that awesome catch he made a couple of years ago over the fence to snatch a HR back into the park with a monsterously long outfielders glove?