Between the extra-innings baserunner and their newfound pitching inefficiencies, the Washington Nationals were in a pickle in the 11th inning Saturday against the New York Yankees.
With the score tied and the bases loaded, the visiting team could not afford to let a ground ball get through the infield.
“When you walk two guys and you put them on third, then you put yourself in a (bad) situation,” said losing pitcher Tanner Rainey, who walked two to start the 11th and did not retire a better.
Manager Davey Martinez gathered his players on the mound and brought in Jordy Mercer to replace Kyle Schwarber, deploying three men on the left side of the infield and two on the right.