The Atlanta Braves certainly appreciated the support of the home fans in their 2-0 Game 3 win on Friday. However, that vocal support may have actually cost the team a no-hitter.
The Houston Astros collected just two hits in Game 3, and didn’t get their first until the 8th inning. That was a weakly-hit fly ball by Aledmys Diaz that dropped between left fielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Dansby Swanson.
The ball was likely catchable from Rosario’s perspective. However, the left fielder admitted he pulled up a bit because the crowd noise prevented him and Swanson from communicating on the fly ball.
“I started charging it hard right away, and I noticed Dansby was charging hard as well — and he had his back to the ball,” Rosario said through an interpreter, via Marc Feinsand of MLB.com. “Obviously, we’re both trying to make a play on the ball. When I knew I had a bead on it, I was trying to say, ‘I got it, I got it.’ I knew Dansby couldn’t hear me, so at the last minute, knowing we couldn’t communicate, I wanted to make sure I avoided any collision between the two of us, so I just kind of eased up on it right there.”
If there was any doubt, crowd noise — or a lack thereof — can definitely have a huge impact on the players. Obviously, Braves fans weren’t trying to hinder their team’s no-hit bid. That may well be exactly what happened.
More must-reads: