MORE COMICAL THAN AN EARLY METS GAME.

Their manager, Casey Stengel, famously asked, "Does anyone here know how to play this game?"  But for all their gaffes, they probably knew this fundamental rule of baseball.  "In baseball, when there are two out and the ball is in play, what happens on the base paths is irrelevant until the batter reaches first."

Watch the embedded video.  Cub batter Javier Baez hits a ground ball to Pirate third baseman Erik Gonzalez, whose throw to first baseman Will Craig pulls him toward home plate, with Baez approaching.  You wouldn't expect Javier Baez to just give himself up for the tag, would you, particularly after the Brewers have gotten into the Cubs' heads on the base paths the last couple seasons!  He backs up.  Will Craig gives chase.  First rule of sailing, stay between the follower and the mark.  If Mr Craig had simply stepped on first base, inning over.  Instead, he and Pirate catcher Michael Perez do the rundown thing.  The point of the madness, though, is that Cub Willson Contreras is on base, running on contact, and while the first baseman and catcher are working on their rundown, Mr Contreras slides into home, safely, provided Mr Baez can get to first.  "Baez took off for first again, and Perez's throw in that direction went into right, allowing Baez to go to second on what was officially a fielder's choice, with the run counting for a 2-0 Chicago lead. [The next Cub hitter, Ian] Happ drove in Baez with a single, making it 3-0."

Hot Air's Allahpundit offers the coaching point.

To make this run count, in other words, Craig had to commit two of the most absent-minded blunders since Fred Merkle forgot to proceed to second base against the Cubs 113 years ago. And even then, he could have been bailed out with a bit of luck. If Baez hadn’t had the presence of mind to break for first, reaching safely, he might have been tagged out by the catcher and the run wouldn’t have counted. Or if the Pirates’ second baseman had had the presence of mind to cover first, the catcher could have thrown down there before Baez reached the bag and gotten a force out. Again, the run wouldn’t have counted.

The only way the run could have scored was if everything happened here just as it did. The batter buys time for the runner to cross the plate and then, bizarrely, the entire defense forgets that all they need to do is record the out at first to nullify the run. It’s never happened before. It’ll probably never happen again.

No doubt this point is being impressed on Little Leaguers all around the world even as we read this.