The Braves were down one in the bottom of the ninth when they got a little spark from Verdugo’s leadoff single. They pinch ran Eli White to use his speed, but things took a strange turn. After a routine sacrifice gave the Padres their first out, the Braves had a runner on second and a chance to tie it. A line drive dropped into shallow center, and White took off like he should, expecting the ball to fall. But then, halfway to third, he changed his mind and sprinted back to second. The outfield relay went to Luis Arraez, who read the chaos perfectly. Instead of throwing home, he pivoted and caught White off the bag, throwing him out while everyone tried to figure out what had happened.
Postgame, White admitted he just got confused. He said he second-guessed his read on the ball and misread the third base coach’s stop sign, thinking it meant go back. That split-second hesitation was all it took. The Padres stayed alert, executed the cut-off cleanly, and got him out. It was a mental mistake that stood out amid an otherwise sharp inning of baseball. Moments later, the Braves grounded into the final out. Game over. Manager Brian Snitker looked stunned. The team had a real chance to steal it, but a mix-up on the basepaths ended it all.