The Cubs beat the Marlins 2-1 on Wednesday, taking the series finale that featured a pitchers’ duel between Cade Horton and Max Meyer. We also saw one of the worst sends by a third base coach of all-time.
Sure, Quintin Berry was being aggressive with two outs, but holy shit was that an awful decision in the ninth inning. Luckily Daniel Palencia recorded the save and it didn’t come back to bite the Cubs, but it’s impossible not to talk about it.
Michael Busch hit a leadoff double in the ninth and was still at second base following two ground outs to third base by Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner, respectively. Miguel Amaya then lined a 2-0 sinker to left field that got down for a hit and Busch was inexplicably sent home by Berry.
Pete Crow-Armstrong would have been out by a mile, so imagine the surprise when the camera went to home plate and Marlins’ catcher Agustín Ramírez was waiting for Busch to sheepishly slide into the out.
Kyle Stowers unleashes a 98.1 mph laser in his makeup attempt to get Michael Busch at the plate.
— Nate Karzmer (@NateKarzmer) May 21, 2025
Norby, Fortes, Pauley due up for Miami in the ninth, just needing one to play on. pic.twitter.com/w2poL6wcF8
Credit to Marlins’ outfielder Kyle Stowers, who unleashed a great throw, but it doesn’t take away the fact that it was a brutal send.
Matt Shaw, who went 5-for-11, with three doubles in the three-game series against the Marlins was due up next. So, that makes the send by Berry even worse. I’m all for being ultra aggressive at times and in this case you could justify it because extending the lead from one to two would be huge. But man, c’mon, that play is right in front of him and I’m not sure what Berry was thinking.
There have been a handful of plays as of late where Cubs base runners have been thrown out at home, but overall the team has looked a lot better running the bases in 2025, compared to previous seasons.
Let’s hope this was the worst send of the season by Berry.
