Brad Ausmus went for it and lost.
Not the replay challenge. The pinch-runner.
It’s a move he’s admittedly reluctant to do, pinch-running for Miguel Cabrera and risking the loss of his best hitter in extra innings. Yet as Cabrera tossed his bat towards the dugout and trotted to first base on his leadoff walk in the ninth, it’s a move Ausmus was willing to make.
He had done it in the past. He ran Ezequiel Carrera for Cabrera in the ninth inning last Sept. 16 at Minnesota in what was then a 2-0 deficit, Cabrera representing the tying run.