SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle’s Victor Robles is well known for being aggressive on the bases. This time he got a little too aggressive at a questionable time.
Robles was thrown out trying to steal home with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the first inning on Tuesday night against the New York Yankees. What made the decision more egregious was Justin Turner was at the plate with a 3-0 count against Yankees starter Luis Gil when Robles made his failed dash to try and get Seattle on the board.
It ultimately didn't matter in an 11-2 Yankees victory. But the play clearly changed the tenor of the game early on.
“He was delaying from first a lot and we were kind of aware of him over there, like, he could do something. But 3-0 count, that felt like a big break, a little bit of a gift for us there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Gil struggled badly with control and needed 24 pitches to record three outs. He had just missed high and inside to Turner and was standing behind the mound when Robles broke for home plate. Gil reacted in time to get the ball to catcher Austin Wells and the tag was applied just before Robles’ hand touched the plate.
“It's a surprise-type play there where you try and take home plate and in that moment you just want to execute a good throw to the catcher — execute accurately so that we can get him out,” Gil said through an interpreter.
Seattle opted against a replay review and manager Dan Wilson appeared to check with home plate umpire Jeremy Rehak to see if Turner had possibly called time, but the play stood and Gil escaped the inning.
It was the first time Robles has been caught stealing since joining the Mariners. He was 25 for 25 on steals prior to the play.
“Vic is an aggressive player, there’s no doubt. And that’s part of his game,” Wilson said. "That’s a situation where you’ve got to know you’re going to make it.”
Robles, who was the designated hitter, was replaced by Mitch Garver when his turn in the order came up in the third inning due to a right hand contusion. Robles was hit on the hand by Gil's first pitch of the game — the sixth time in the past nine games Robles had been hit by a pitch.
The Mariners said X-rays on Robles' hand were negative.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells tags out Seattle Mariners' Victor Robles attempting to steal home plate during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — A sensational spell of fast bowling by New Zealand rookie William O’Rourke rocked Sri Lanka as the home side was bowled out for 305 runs in the first innings of the first cricket test on Thursday.
O’Rourke, who had troubled the Sri Lankan top order on the first day, claimed the last two wickets and there wasn’t much resistance from the tail. The last three wickets fell for just two runs on the rain-affected second morning with Ajaz Patel accounting for the remaining wicket.
O’Rourke, playing just his third test, finished with figures of five for 55, his second five-wicket haul in test cricket.
On the first day Wednesday he had accounted for both openers — Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka — before dismissing Angelo Mathews. All three batters were beaten by extra pace.
New Zealand faced just one over in its first innings and was five for no loss before rain forced the umpires to take early lunch. Only 4.5 overs were possible in the morning session due to rain.
New Zealand had a warm-up test match last week against Afghanistan in India washed out after five days without a ball being bowled. Sri Lanka is coming off a three-match test series in England which the hosts won 2-1.
The teams will play a second test beginning Sept. 26, also at Galle.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
New Zealand's William O'Rourke shows the ball in his hand as he celebrates his 5-wicket haul at the end of the Sri Lanka innings on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Bangladesh's Zakir Hasan dives to make an unsuccessful attempt to run out of India's Yashasvi Jaiswal on the first day of the first cricket test match between India and Bangladesh, in Chennai, India, Thursday, Sept.19, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
New Zealand's William O'Rourke, right, is congratulated by his captain Tim Southee for his 5-wicket haul on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Groundsmen pull the covers on as rain disrupts play on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
New Zealand's Tom Latham, left, and teammate Devon Conway leave the ground after rain disrupted play on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
New Zealand's William O'Rourke shows the ball in his hand as he celebrates his 5-wicket haul at the end of the Sri Lanka innings on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
