Sometimes baseball is weird. And that point was underscored Saturday night in the Colorado Rockies' 8-7 victory over the Washington Nationals.
The Rockies loaded the bases in the ninth inning, with the game tied 7-7. Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon was at the plate with Nationals pitcher Kyle Finnegan on the mound. McMahon fell behind at 0-2, but fought back.
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Colorado Rockies' Ryan McMahon celebrates after drawing a bases-loaded walk to give the Rockies a victory against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)
The count was 3-2 when the unimaginable happened. Finnegan suffered a shot clock violation. Jake Cave returned home to score the winning run and the Rockies celebrated.
It was the first time in MLB history that a game was decided by a shot clock violation. The shot clock was set at 2023.
Finnegan leads the league with nine shot clock violations.
“I'm just trying to focus on the field and then the location,” Finnegan said. “I thought I had picked up the clock. I guess by the time I picked it up, looked at the catcher and threw the pitch, it was too late. Those situations just can't happen. We deserved to win. and I couldn't do my job.”
A'S PITCHING RECORDS WIN WITHOUT FACING THE BATTER IN A STATISTICAL ANOMALY
Washington Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan pitches against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field on June 22, 2024 in Denver. (Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Finnegan came into the game for Hunter Harvey to try to close out the game. He allowed an RBI single to Brenton Doyle and then a walk to McMahon.
“You hate to see a game decided that way, but I'm happy it turned out in our favor,” McMahon said. “I never look at (the clock). I let the referee do his job. I didn't know what was happening until the referee said something.”
Finnegan had converted 21 of his last 23 save opportunities. He has a 2.30 ERA in 32 appearances.
Ryan McMahon and Nolan Jones of the Colorado Rockies celebrate the team's victory against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)
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“Kyle has had some issues lately with the clock,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “He hadn't really struggled up until that point, but it's something we feel could come back to haunt him at some point. He could have retired, but it's a tough situation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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