The Atlanta Braves loaded the bases in their biggest game of the season so far, making this the biggest spot of their season so far.
Michael Harris II came to the plate with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Braves were tied with the Philadelphia Phillies, 1-1.
There were a lot of ways for Harris to get a run home and give Atlanta a lead. With the Braves having won Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday, this game Wednesday was their chance to claim the best-of-three series and advance.
That’s what made what Harris did next particularly confusing.
He hit a ground ball to first base that went home for one out, then back to Alec Bohm at first for the double play — 3-2-3 in the scorebook to get the speedy Harris.
But a second angle shown on the NBC broadcast revealed a real problem.
How Michael Harris Cost Braves With Lack of Hustle
On the broadcast angle, it was kind of possible to see it.
Then on a later video shown by NBC, it was clearer: Harris hadn’t run hard out of the box.
It took him 30-plus feet to kick it into full gear. It was almost like a switch flipped midway through, and he picked up his speed.
But on a play that he was out by just a step or so, it was much too late.
The secondary angle isn’t on X at the moment, but this is what the original broadcast looked like:
3-2-3 DOUBLE PLAY
The Phillies escape the bases-loaded jam! pic.twitter.com/5lKM9tYRjr
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026
Fans certainly noticed:
Why wasn’t Michael Harris II busting his tail out of the box on that bases-loaded double play??
He made a bad at-bat even worse 🤦🏼♀️
— Rachel (@allthedogspleaz) September 30, 2026
Quite the Postscript
The follow-up situation for the Braves was fascinating.
It looked first like Harris would be off the hook. The Braves scored twice in the seventh to take a 3-1 lead.
But then in the eighth, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper went back-to-back for solo home runs to tie the game 3-3.
If the game ended up going to the Phillies, this spot where Harris didn’t run hard could matter.
The play wouldn’t have scored a run immediately, but if Harris beats it out, the bases are then loaded with two outs.
Instead, Atlanta got no runs despite loading them up with just one out. It was a painful miss in any circumstance, especially considering that one of their fastest players didn’t run that fast out of the box in the massive moment.
How Braves’ Michael Harris Lack of Hustle Ruins Bases-Loaded Chance