ATLANTA - Unhappy fans at Turner Field caused a scary situation and a 19-minute delay in the eighth inning of the Braves-Cardinals National League wild card game Friday night.
The situation unfolded in the bottom of the eighth with the Braves trailing 6-3 and runners at first and second base with one out. A fly ball from Andrelton Simmons dropped between Matt Holliday and Pete Kozma in short left field which would have loaded the bases and brought the go-ahead run to the plate.
But left field umpire Sam Holbrook signaled for an infield fly just before the ball dropped, meaning Simmons was out and there were two outs with runners at second and third.
Fans immediately began heaving bottles and trash onto the field from as high as the upper deck as Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez rushed out to argue the call. The Cardinals met near second base to avoid the flying debris before eventually leaving the field.
The Braves grounds crew attempted to clean up the trash as fans continued. As the booing got louder, an announcement was made that the Braves might be forced to forfeit the game if fans did not refrain from throwing stuff onto the field.
When the game continued nearly 20 minutes later, Jason Motte entered for the Cardinals allowed a walk before striking out Michael Bourn on a 3-2 pitch to end the innings.
Fans at Turner Field continued to chant, "Infield Fly! Infield Fly!" throughout the ninth inning.
