The ball is lofted. A 70 MPH Tyler Rogers frisbee will do that—but it has backspin, carrying. Upon contact, the scant crowd (classic Dodgers fans) that had stayed behind jump to their feet. Arms raise in triumphant. The bench clears, players vault the railing, run up the steps to the field to watch the ball drift towards the left field wall.
But Mike Tauchman has it tracked from the start. He was playing deep anyway, no doubles in a now tied ball game. He doesn’t turn and bolt towards the wall, but follows the fly back, deliberate and to his left, shoulders angled.