I do not understand baseball. Can someone ELI5 me on what I just watched?
Ok, the Cubs (blue) are batting with two outs in the inning. One more out and the inning is over, which clears any runners from the bases.
The batter hits a ground ball to the third baseman. Since the ball hits the ground before the third baseman catches it, what the Pirates (white) have to do is to either:
a) touch first base with any part of their body or glove while holding the ball (this is called a force play, meaning that the batter is FORCED to try to advance to first base), OR
b) tag either the batter or the runner with the ball while they are not on any bases.
By rule. In order to score a run, the Cubs runner (who starts on second base) has to touch third base and then touch home plate, AND the batter must touch first base before the Pirates force him out by touching first base while holding the ball.
In this scenario, the easiest thing to do is for the third baseman to throw it to the first baseman who is already standing on first base. This is what the third baseman does.
Except the throw is too far away from first base, and the first baseman has to step off first base in order to catch the throw. He does so, and is now standing in between the batter and first base. Normally, in this situation, the first baseman tags the batter with the ball, and that has the same effect as just stepping on the base.
This is where it gets weird. The batter stops running to first base (remember, he MUST touch first base before being "out" in order for the run to count) and instead shuffles back toward home plate. The first baseman has a brain cramp and, instead of just taking two steps back and touching first base, he chases the batter back toward home plate.
During this time, the runner who started at second base has now made it to third base and is running toward home plate. Remember, the Pirates can prevent the run from scoring by just stepping on first base, or by tagging the batter. That is still the play here.
Instead, the first baseman lobs the ball to the catcher covering home plate to try to get the runner from third base out. In this scenario, because the runner does not HAVE TO try to reach home, the Pirates have to tag him before he touches home plate. They fail to do so.
AT THIS POINT THE RUN STILL DOES NOT COUNT UNLESS THE BATTER TOUCHES FIRST BASE BEFORE HE IS OUT (because there are two outs and the third out ends the inning). It does not matter that the runner has already touched home plate; the batter still needs to reach first base safely.
The umpire at home plate rules the runner safe. The batter - who still needs to run to first base - also calls the runner safe before taking off for first base.
The catcher who still has the ball looks to first base, but no one is covering the base (the first baseman who would normally be there is near home plate), so the second baseman runs over toward first base. The catcher tries to throw the ball to him, but the throw is bad and the ball bounces into right field. The batter touches first base (The run now counts!) and advances to second base because the ball is in right field.
This is such a bad play because a ground ball to the third baseman with a runner on any base and two outs in the inning is an EXTREMELY COMMON situation. Professional players should know what to do. But because the batter did something unexpected by running back to home plate, they got all confused and all hell broke loose for them.
It's pathetic, and it's emblematic for a team that consistently is one of the worst teams in the league.
Different sport but I get it. 
