August 19th, 2012 at 6:41 am 
by Ron Cervenka Ok, I admit it. I was one batter away from turning off Saturday’s Dodger game in disgust; one pitch, in fact – and it was only the bottom of the first inning.
Dodgers right-hander Aaron Harang had already given up three walks in the inning, one of which had scored and the bases were loaded with two outs. Harang simply couldn’t find the strike zone and it was a 3-2 count on Braves catcher David Ross, who absolutely owns the Dodgers – especially Aaron Harang, who he was batting over .400 against with three home runs. On a 3-2 count, Harang had no choice but to throw a fastball right down the middle. Dead Red. Everybody in the ballpark knew it. The hundreds of thousands watching on TV knew it. And most certainly, David Ross knew it. With my thumb perched and pressing on the off button of my TV remote, Harang went into his wind-up. The pitch….. ball four up and in. But wait! Ross checked his swing… but he didn’t go. But wait again! The ball hit his bat and somehow… some impossible how, A.J. Ellis managed to catch the unintentional foul tip on what would have been… what should have been ball four. It was a miracle! It was divine intervention! It was strike three! Somehow Harang had escaped disaster. I set the TV remote down. If Harang was able to escape this mess allowing only one run because of a miracle play by A.J. Ellis, this was going to be a game for the ages.
…and it was.
Aaron Harang pulled off the greatest Houdini act since Houdini himself escaping imminent disaster to earn his 9th win of the season. Harang allowed only one run on 4 hits in his 6 2/3 innings of work. He ended up striking out 8 and allowed 5 walks – including 3 in the first inning. (Photo credit – Scott Cunningham)
If A.J. doesn’t make that play it’s a foul ball and we do it again. Another (probable) fast ball right down the middle. Would it be a walk for one run? A single for two runs? A double or triple for three runs? Or a grand slam for four? (Ross has 2 career slams). Or would it be a ground or fly out or even strike three? (Ross rarely strikes out). But thanks to A.J. Ellis’ incredible catch of that foul tip, we will never know.
Harang was not only able to escape the impossible, but he turned things around and tossed a shut-out for the next 5 2/3 innings, and with the aid of three back jacks by Hanley Ramirez, James Loney and Luis Cruz, Harang collected his 9th win of the season. For good measure, Ramirez added a fourth home run in the 6th inning for his 13th career two home run game. The last team to hit three back jacks was… yep, the Dodgers on June 12, 2007 in a 4-1 win over the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium. You remember that one – Dodger pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo hit the third one (behind Matt Kemp and Wilson Betemit) and did his infamous bat flip.
That’s it. Four hits – four home runs for the Dodgers. And were it not for a 9th inning walk to James Loney, the Dodgers would have ended the game with zero men left on base. Yes, it was a game for the ages; one that will be talked about for years, and it was the 6th annual Civil Rights Game to boot.
But lost in the excitement of Harang’s eventual 9th win of the season; lost in the excitement of Ramirez’s two home run game, lost in the excitement of three back jacks is that one single play – a checked swing unintentional foul tip that should have been ball four that was somehow miraculous caught by A.J. Ellis.
Although this game will forever be remembered for the back-to-back-to-back jacks and Harang’s outstanding pitching performance, it was the absolutely impossible catch of a foul tip by A.J. Ellis that turned this game around. (Photo credit – Paul Conners)
Thank you, A.J. Your great play may be lost on many, but it wasn’t lost on me.
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I was surprised when Ross turned away as I thought he was going to first base. Great catch by AJ on the tip. That is, catch it anyway, without a tip, would have been a good defensive play. I did think of that out as the game went along. To use one of your expressions: “It was a game changer.” As subtle as it was, it changed the entire complexion of the game in our favor. Credit to AJ for saving the day, and Aaron for seizing the moment.
Also credit the umpire for being aware of the tip. I expect they are not always really audible.
I went to a wedding last night and had no idea of what was happening in the game. I wasn’t even able to get a score while the game was in progress. Of course I was very pleased to see that the Dodgers had won and watched the highlights of the four HRs when I got home. I wouldn’t have known anything about the foul tip strikeout because it wasn’t in any of the game articles I read. You’re right that was a subtle key play in the game.
The last time the Dodgers hit 3 back to back to back homeruns was not against the Angels, it was against the Mets and the Dodgers won 4-1. You got the date right. It was a Tuesday night game. I remember it well, I didn’t stay up for it because of work the next day. I remember reading about Kuo’s bat flip the next game.
That’ll teach me to trust the research of others rather than doing my own. Thanks for the correction – article amended.
As an in-person witness to that game, and that play, let me assure you that the importance of Ellis’s play was not lost on me, nor was it lost on those around me by they Dodger fans or Braves fans. Everyone felt that a game that was seemingly over almost before it began was now going to be a dogfight, and we were right!