> So the Orioles will win zero games this year they should have lost?
Not at all my point. I feel like we're having different conversations.
We play in the most competitive division in baseball. It's entirely possible that we have a fantastic rest of the season, win 92 games, and we needed 93 for the Wild Card. And at that point, a missing win that you gave away makes all the difference.
And yes, you can argue that other close wins and losses happen, but very few games are like this one, where you can say that you literally won a game, except you converted that sure win into a loss because you dropped the routine game ending fly ball that's caught 9,999 times every 10,000 tries in the MLB.
> If a drop occurs in the 3rd inning it’s the same as the 9th inning correct?
Incorrect, if said fly ball in the ninth would have literally ended the game with a win for your team. There isn't a more impactful play in baseball than dropping said fly ball, and then going on to lose the game instead.