Eli White turns in all-time base running blunder in Braves loss to Padres

The Atlanta Braves dropped a gut-wrenching 2-1 game to the San Diego Padres on Friday night, and it wasn’t just the scoreline that had fans in disbelief. It was a ninth-inning baserunning gaffe by Eli White — one of the most inexplicable in recent memory — that sealed Atlanta’s fate and overshadowed the triumphant return of superstar Ronald Acuña Jr.With the Braves trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth and White representing the tying run at second base, Ozzie Albies lined a clear single to center field. White initially broke for third, but then inexplicably turned around and sprinted back to second base, as if he thought the ball had been caught by Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill.

It hadn’t. The ball dropped well in front of Merrill, and what should have been an easy game-tying run instead turned into an easy out. Padres first baseman Luis Arraez took Merrill’s throw and tagged White out as he scrambled back to second.

Braves lose in brutal fashion, overshadows the return of Ronald Acuña Jr.

Eli White turns in all-time base running blunder in Braves loss to Padres — Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The mistake stunned the Truist Park crowd — and even more so, Braves third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo, whose reaction to the blunder quickly made the rounds online. White had a clean view of the ball dropping, and the loud reaction from the crowd made it even more confusing that he thought the ball was caught.

After the game, a visibly disappointed White attempted to explain the moment of confusion.

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“I saw it go over the second baseman’s head, and I thought it was low, which ended up being a good read,” White told MLB.com. “I just didn’t trust it for whatever reason. I just got confused. It’s just a terrible mistake in a huge situation. It’s a tough one to swallow.”

White’s misstep loomed even larger just one at-bat later, as the Braves failed to capitalize on Albies’ hit. The game ended moments later, with Atlanta fans left wondering how the inning — and potentially the game — slipped away.

The miscue took some of the shine off Ronald Acuña Jr.’s long-awaited season debut. The reigning National League MVP, playing in his first game since tearing his ACL last year, wasted no time reminding everyone what he’s capable of. Acuña homered on the very first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first inning, drawing a roar from the home crowd and providing a much-needed jolt to the Braves lineup. He later added a single, finishing the night 2-for-4.

But even Acuña’s electric return couldn’t erase the sting of White’s blunder, which will likely go down as one of the most unfortunate mental lapses in recent Braves history.

Atlanta will look to bounce back in the next two games of the series against San Diego, but the image of White being tagged out at second — with the tying run in reach — is one that won’t soon be forgotten.