Baseball playoffs are time to expect the unexpected. But a rough error at the wrong moment by the Cubs’ Gold Glove second baseman was probably not on any bingo cards Saturday.
That’s what happened, though. With one out and two runners on base, Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick sent a line drive toward second. The ball lost momentum when it hit the ground and bounced off Nico Hoerner’s glove. The runner from second scored on the play and ultimately, 4 of the 6 runs given up in the first inning were unearned.
“Definitely off the bat, that’s always my first instinct is to get the lead out,” he said. “Then it was hit softer than I expected, so then the play was at first and I didn’t catch he ball.”
Saying the Cubs lost Game 1 because of that error is a stretch. They were outscored 9-3 and outhit 13-6