Astros Runner Trips, Falls Over, Somehow Produces Walkoff Win Through Oakland Ineptitude

Just like they drew it up.

Baseball Fundamentals 101: You're a catcher, it's a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, and there's a runner on first — but the winning run is on second base. The ball gets away from you. What is the last thing on earth that you do?

If you answered THROW THE BALL TO FIRST, you are correct! Also, that means you're not Oakland's Derek Norris, who did that very thing last night, when he saw Jose Altuve slip and fall between first and second.

And Jonathan Villar made Oakland pay by racing all the way from second to end the game.

Astros fans, who've seen the fewest home wins in all of MLB this season, were besides themselves with joy.

Via wapc.mlb.com

Start to finish, it's hard to understand what Norris was possibly thinking, even if he thought he could nab a slipped Jose Altuve, who appeared he was heading back to first base. And once Brandon Moss lets that ball slip by his glove, the game is effectively over.

Somewhat overlooked amid the hysteria was how Villar almost completely ate it as he made the turn and motored toward home.

Via wapc.mlb.com

Well, as in most things nowadays, if you're doing better than Ryan Braun, that's a good thing.