Danny Duffy and Dee Gordon had a low-key battle going on during a mid-inning sequence that turned into a pickoff marathon. Gordon had just driven in a run with a groundout and was on first base with a 2-1 score in the fourth. Duffy, clearly wary of Gordon’s speed, started throwing over repeatedly. None of the tosses were serious attempts, more like reminders: “I see you.” Gordon wasn’t buying it, but he had to dive back each time, getting visibly annoyed. At one point, he seemed to give up on stealing and just settled into distracting Duffy instead.
The crowd got into it as Duffy kept throwing over. Even Duffy’s catcher, Martin Maldonado, looked over it. Gordon responded by pretending to dance off first, teasing a steal, never actually going. Duffy threw over again. Gordon leaned, faked a break, then backed off. The pitcher wasn’t biting. Eventually, Jaylin Davis flied out and Duffy kept worrying about Gordon while facing the next hitter. More fake moves from Gordon, more throw-overs from Duffy. It hit at least six or seven pickoff attempts before things finally moved on. Gordon stayed put. The distraction didn’t pay off. The batter struck out swinging, and Gordon never got a chance to run.