On a cool night last fall, in Game 5 of the World Series, the difference between an iconic comeback and a painful loss was measured in 90 feet. Sixty-five feet from home plate, Eric Hosmer believed he knew the answer: He was dead.
By now, the sequence is so familiar, like a memory playing on loop: Hosmer sprinting down the third-base line in New York. The Royals trailing by one run with two outs. Game 5 of the World Series coming down to one throw. As Hosmer peered down the line toward home plate, it all suddenly felt like a terrible idea.