Barger: 'I was being too aggressive' on game-ending double play

The Toronto Blue Jays lost Game 6 of the World Series in dramatic fashion.

Trailing 3-1 in the ninth inning, Addison Barger ripped a double that got lodged between the outfield fence and the turf. Barger and Myles Straw came around to score, but were returned to their bases after the umpire signaled a ground-rule double due to the ball being lodged in the fence.

"That's such a hard wall, so it's very impressive that the ball stuck in there," Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho said. "That's probably the only spot where it could have possibly gotten stuck."

The Blue Jays challenged the play the but call was upheld.

If a fair ball gets lodged in the outfield wall padding it is a ground-rule double. On all ground-rule doubles, the ball is dead, the batter-runner goes to second and all additional runners are permitted to move up two bases from the one they occupied at the time of the pitch.

"Been here a long time, haven't seen a ball get lodged ever," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. "Just caught a tough break there."

Despite the unfortunate bounce, the Blue Jays still had runners at second, and third with no outs. Toronto had a 43% chance of winning the game at that point, according to Baseball Savant.

Tyler Glasnow came out of the 'pen to relieve Roki Sasaki and got Ernie Clement to pop out. Barger was then doubled off second base by Kiké Hernández on an Andrés Giménez line out to left field to end the game.

"Obviously, on the play I got doubled up I was being too aggressive," Barger said. "Trying to score, try to tie up that game if the ball drops. He got a good read on the ball and made a good play."

Hernández said following the win that he was playing more shallow defensively than what was suggested on his defensive positioning card because the left-handed hitting Giménez's power is more to the pull side.

“Somehow I was able to hear that the bat broke, even with that crowd," Hernández told Fox Sports. "The crazy thing is I had no idea where the ball was cause it was in the lights the whole time.”

Schneider gave credit to the Dodgers' defense for making the deciding play.

"It's a tough read," Schneider said. "Kiké playing shallow and one out you're thinking score. He made a really good play. It's such a tweener. He made a good play, good throw. Good play by (Miguel) Rojas too. Wild. Wild way to finish it, for sure."

The Blue Jays finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Game 7 goes Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. It's the first winner-take-all game to decide the World Series since 2019.