It was, perhaps, the play that changed it all in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card series for the Minnesota Twins.
In the fifth inning, with runners on second and third and the Twins clinging to a two-run lead, Sonny Gray and Carlos Correa pulled off an amazing pickoff play to get Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to end the inning.
How did Minnesota do that in the middle of a playoff game with the pressure on? Gray revealed that they had practiced the play in spring training and had worked on it before the postseason … and that Correa told Gray that the Blue Jays couldn’t hear the third base coach yell “BACK!” because the crowd at Target Field was so loud:
SONNY GRAY PICKS OFF VLAD GUERRERO JR. TO GET OUTTA THE JAM š²pic.twitter.com/Eds2O8dHk9
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 4, 2023
Sonny Gray says Carlos Correa called the pickoff play on Vlad Guerrero Jr. He told him the Blue Jays couldnāt hear their third base coach tell ābackā because #MNTwins fans were so loud. @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/9g9DwVGlQb
— Jeff Wald (@JeffWaldFox9) October 5, 2023
@mlbnetwork Sonny Gray and Carlos Correa were in sync for this clutch pickoff! š„
That is seriously great work by the Twins AND their fans. Bravo.