Brooks Conrad slowed up as he rounded first base, unsure if his drive had cleared the left field wall to give the Braves an improbable victory.
Then he saw Laynce Nix swat at his empty glove in frustration. The ball went over. Game over.
Conrad hit a pinch-hit grand slam yesterday to finish off a seven-run ninth inning that gave the Braves a 10-9 victory over the Reds, who fell out of first in the NL Central and can only hope the stunning loss doesn’t leave a hangover on their surprisingly strong start.
“It was a horrible ending,” said Reds manager Dusty Baker, who appeared close to breaking down after the game. “Boy, that was a tough one.”
The Braves put together the biggest ninth-inning comeback since Cleveland rallied from six runs down against Tampa Bay on May 25, 2009, according to STATS LLC.
“I hit it and I was kind of talking to it to get out of there and I saw (Nix) jump up,” Conrad said. “From my angle . . . it looked like he kind of brought it back. I put my hands no my helmet and said, ‘No way he caught that.’ ”
He didn’t.
“I thought I had it,” Nix said. “It just bounced out.”
Cardinals 4, Marlins 2
In St. Louis, Adam Wainwright dominated after a shaky start and Matt Holliday got his first two RBIs in four games batting third.
Phillies 5, Cubs 4
In Philadelphia, Raul Ibanez hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning.
Brewers 4, Pirates 3
In Pittsburgh, George Kottaras, playing only because of an injury, doubled in a run and the Brewers rallied from a three-run deficit to end a nine-game skid.
Dodgers 4, Padres 1
In Los Angeles, Clayton Kershaw (4-2) pitched 7 1/3 innings to win his third straight start and Garret Anderson delivered the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly.
D’backs 8, Giants 7
In Phoenix, Conor Jackson scored the tiebreking run on a wild pitch with two outs in the eighth inning as Arizona completed a two-game sweep.
Rockies 4, Astros 0
In Houston, Ubaldo Jimenez (8-1) allowed one hit over seven innings and Troy Tulowitzki had a three-run homer for Colorado, which broke a three-game losing streak.
Jimenez, who improved his major league-low ERA to 0.99, struck out four and walked two.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Red Sox 6, Twins 2
In Boston, Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run homer and added an RBI double to help Jon Lester (4-3) earn his fourth straight victory.
Tigers 5, Athletics 1
In Oakland, Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez each drove in a pair of runs, Jeremy Bonderman won for the first time in over a month.
Mariners 4, Blue Jays 3
In Seattle, Ken Griffey Jr. awakened with a game-winning, pinch-hit single to cap Seattle’s three-run rally off AL saves leader Kevin Gregg in the ninth, and the Mariners ended a five-game losing streak.
Angels 6, White Sox 5
In Chicago, Ervin Santana (3-3) pitched seven solid innings and Juan Rivera hit a two-run homer for the Angels, who have won five of seven.
Rangers 13, Orioles 7
In Arlington, Nelson Cruz had a three-run homer and drove in four runs in his first career four-hit game as Texas won its fourth straight.
Royals 9, Indians 3
In Cleveland, Luke Hochevar (4-2) pitched a complete game and Alberto Callaspo hit a three-run homer.