East Carolina pulled off a wild walk-off steal of home to stay alive in an elimination game. Down two runs in the bottom of the inning, they started with a double and a single to put runners on the corners. A sac fly brought one in to make it a one-run game. Then came a long battle at the plate, with the hitter fouling off pitch after pitch before slapping a single to set up another first and third. After a flyout, a walk and a passed ball moved the runners up. The tying run stood on third, and the baserunner started studying the pitcher and catcher’s habits.
Both pitcher and catcher made the same mistake again and again. After each pitch, they dropped their heads to check signals, completely ignoring the runner at third. With two outs and two strikes, the pitcher took the ball, the catcher looked down, and neither of them paid attention as the runner broke for home. It wasn’t a pitch, so the ball wasn’t live in play the usual way. Still, it counted as a steal. The runner slid across before anyone noticed. The batter never even had to swing. Game over.
The runner explained it simply in a postgame interview. “He just had his head down and he wasn’t looking up.” A massive mental lapse ended the other team’s season and let ECU live another day.