A look at the Braves vs. the extra-innings ghost runner

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty ImagesWhen AJ Minter struck out Ian Cron in the bottom of the ninth last Friday to send the game to a scoreless extra-inning affair in Denver, I was confident that Max Fried’s eight-inning gem of a start was going to go to waste. To me, it’s felt like the implementation of the ever-popular ghost runner has spelled an automatic loss for the Braves in games that get that far. So, after they were able to not only win in Friday’s free baseball but also emerge victorious in the same situation the next day, I started to wonder if my pessimism was more founded in negativity towards the ghost runner rule itself rather than the Braves’ performance in games that involve it.

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