Nelson Cruz tries to steal home in extras, fails miserably

Tom Gatto

Nelson Cruz tries to steal home in extras, fails miserably image

The element of surprise didn't help Nelson Cruz when he attempted a walkoff steal of home Friday night.

Cruz, the majors' home run leader, took off with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, only to be retired easily.

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One other thing: Chris Davis, last year's home run leader, was at the plate. Left-handed hitter to boot. Easier play for catcher Derek Norris.

Cruz told reporters after that game that he saw an opportunity to make a play. 

Orioles manager Buck Showalter had a similar response.

"Saw it, felt it, went for it, didn't work out," he told reporters (per The Associated Press).

For the record, Cruz entered the game 1-for-4 in steal tries this season.

The O's lost to the A's, 4-3 in 11 innings.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.