Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Addison Barger admitted to a crucial baserunning mistake that contributed to the team’s 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday night. The defeat has forced a winner-take-all Game 7, leaving Toronto a single win away from the franchise’s first championship since 1993.
Barger energized the Rogers Centre crowd in the ninth inning with a ground-rule double to left-center, placing runners in scoring position with no outs. Pinch runner Myles Straw, who had replaced catcher Alejandro Kirk after he was hit by a pitch, advanced to third base.
The Blue Jays, down by two runs, were positioned for a dramatic potential late rally, with George Springer on deck. Toronto’s chances at that point jumped from an 8.9% win expectancy at the start of the inning to 43% with runners on second and third and no outs, per available metrics.
However, the potential tying run never materialized. Barger, attempting to score on a line drive by Andres Gimenez, badly misjudged the ball, thinking it would drop for a shallow single. Los Angeles left fielder Enrique Hernandez made the catch, and Barger, too far off second base, was easily doubled off, ending the game.
“I was pretty surprised he got to it,” Barger said afterward. “Off the bat, I thought it was going to go over the shortstop's head. I didn't think it was going to travel that far. It was kind of a bad read.”
The sequence followed a ground-rule double Barger hit earlier in the inning, when the ball lodged at the base of the left-center wall. Hernandez and Dodgers center fielder Justin Dean signaled the obstruction, and umpire John Tumpane ruled it a dead-ball double, sending Barger back to second while Straw moved to third.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in Tyler Glasnow to face Giménez after Ernie Clement popped out on the first pitch, creating a high-leverage matchup. Gimenez hit a liner with a .710 expected average, but Hernandez made the catch, and Barger’s misstep closed out Game 6 for Toronto.
The Blue Jays will take the mound in Game 7 on Saturday with Max Scherzer starting, likely facing Shohei Ohtani in an opener role.
