The Braves Just Lost on a Baserunning Play So Uniquely Stupid It Makes Your Brain Hurt

Ronald Acuna Jr. came back yesterday in one of the more electric returns we've seen in recent memory, crushing a 467-foot moonshot on the first pitch in his first A.B., before adding a 108-mph single later and one of the best throws of the season from the right-field corner to nab Elias Diaz trying for 2nd. But, unfortunately for him, pretty much no one else offensively showed up, resulting in the game being tied 1-1 going into the 9th, when Manny Machado crushed this go-ahead But all of this was simply an appetizer for what would happen in the bottom of that inning, when Eli White managed to make a mind-numbingly dumb baserunning play that I don't believe I've ever seen anything quite like before. But first, let's examine how he got there. Alex Rodugo would lead off vs. Roberts Juarez, grounding a 3-1 fastball just past the sliding glove of Zayner Bogarts, giving the Braves a leadoff baserunner. Our titular character, Eli, would then enter the game as a pinch runner. Sean Murphy would follow this with what amounted to essentially a swinging bunt down the 3rd baseline that had some crazy English on it spinning fair at the last second before being fielded by Elias Diaz, who made a ridiculously good spinning play to nab the Braves' backstop by an inch. Still, a runner was now in 2nd with one out, with Ozzie Albies coming to the dish. And the now-veteran 2nd baseman would not disappoint, lining a changeup into center field, which Merrill got to fairly quickly. Runners on 1st and 3rd and one out, right? Wrong. For some inconceivable reason, White seemed to believe that the ball was caught, which had him racing back towards 2nd, resulting in him getting easily tagged out. Just look at this. I can't remember a time I've ever seen on a major league, minor league, or even little league field, a runner believe that the ball was caught when it actually had landed, get all the way to 3rd base, and then run back to 2nd before getting tagged out on what wasn't even a force play. Now, the first question that pops to my mind was, what the hell was 3rd base coach Matt Tuiasosopo doing? But, as we can see from this angle, he was behaving completely normally, giving the hold-up sign as White approached 3rd base. However, it seems that Eli misinterpreted the universal two-hands-up sign for a hold, as Matt somehow saying the ball was caught and that he had to get back. Just look at Tuiasosopo's body language here. He had no idea what was going on. And, as you might expect, this ended up being a game-losing blunder after Michael Harris the 2nd grounded out to short, sealing one of the most bizarre losses we've seen yet this year, on one of the most uniquely stupid plays I've ever seen on an MLB field. Good for the Padres, they broke their losing streak, but I have to say, it does suck to me that the heroic efforts of the returning Acuna ended up being completely wasted. Now, thank you so much for watching, and please remember that if you ever see anything you'd like to see detailed in the Made to Cut video, whether that be a specific play, player, or narrative surrounding a team or something, feel free to reach out to my email, basebepoet at gmail.com. And if I do end up using your idea, I'll of course give you a shoutout. Thank you so much once again, and I'll see you in the next one.