No, Alex Gordon wouldn’t have scored an inside the park home run
It would have made for incredible television, but no, Alex Gordon shouldn’t have tried to score the game-tying run on an inside-the-park home run.
Ezra Shaw
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Alex Gordon came to the plate with the Royals trailing by one run and down to the their final out in the 2014 World Series. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner had been cruising for five innings, giving Kansas City little hope to generate enough offense to tie the game. This is the set up for what might have been the most memorable moment of the World Series.
Gordon flicked the ball into center field for what should have been a single, but Giants outfielder Gregor Blanco misplayed the ball. It skipped the way to the warning track before Blanco retrieved it and fired the ball to the cut off man as Gordon was making his way around the bases.
Here’s a look at the play in pictures:
Gordon would pull up at third base, giving Salvador Perez the chance to knock him in and tie the game. Unfortunately for the Royals, Bumgarner overpowered Perez and got him to pop up to Pablo Sandoval to give the Giants their third world championship in five years.
But ... had Gordon gone home, would he have been safe? It would have made for incredible television, that much is for sure. Upon closer investigation, it sure seems like Gordon would have been toast.
Here’s where Gordon was at when the cut-off man got the ball:
Perhaps a decision to run would have forced a poor throw home, but with a good throw Gordon would have been out easily. Regardless, that was a tremendous Game 7.
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