Over the last couple decades, we've seen players admire their towering fly balls at the plate only to have the ball fall short and settling for a single, when they should have been in scoring position.
The Indians are getting credit here for plays that should be common place but sadly are not. One play was on defense, the other on offense.
Bryan Shaw, who is in his second tour with the Indians, got Seattle outfielder Mitch Haniger to top the ball at the plate. Catcher Roberto Perez touched the ball in fair territory. Haniger walked to the dugout but Shaw picked the ball up and waited until home plate umpire Mark Ripperger called Haniger out for giving himself up as we often see on dropped third strikes from catchers.
There were two runners on for the Indians when Andres Gimenez hit a long fly to center field. Former Cincinnati prospect, Taylor Trammel, leaped against the fence and fell to the warning track. Trammel showed the ball to second base umpire Alan Porter but Gimenez kept running full speed instead of being caught umpiring.
Porter ruled that Trammel trapped the ball against the wall.
Gimenez is trying to take over the shortstop position for the Indians vacated by the departure of Francisco Lindor. The fundamental dash to home beat a belated throw from Trammel, resulting in a three-run, inside the park home run.
Ryan Lavarnway, who was signed by the Reds in 2019 when an injury epidemic hit the Reds catchers, is trying to nail down the backup catching job behind Roberto Perez for the Indian.
Lavarnway chipped in with a legitimate three-run home run for the Indians.
Reds fans may remember that in Lavarnway's first start for the Reds against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 19 of that year, he hit two home runs and a double with six runs batted in.
Lavarnway made four starts after that. His last game was on July 27 in which he caught the entire 3-1 victory pitched by Anthony DeSclafani. The Reds released him on August 30.
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