Jumbo Package: Kirby Smart, Pete Golding reminisce about Saban era
Kirby Smart and Pete Golding reminisce about their time with Nick Saban as Alabama coaches.
Drew Gilbert of the San Francisco Giants almost let a fly ball drop in a strategic move against the Philadelphia Phillies. This unconventional tactic was aimed at preventing a sacrifice fly that could have led to a walk-off win for the Phillies.

Why Giants' Drew Gilbert nearly let fly ball hit the ground in sneaky move vs. Phillies originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
When Alec Bohm lofted a fly ball nearly 400 feet to centerfield with the winning run Adolis Garcia on third base, the game was essentially over.
The Philadelphia Phillies were going to walk it off on a sacrifice fly unless San Francisco Giants centerfielder Drew Gilbert could pull off something magical.
Gilbert went with a move many people hadn't seen before, one that had the potential to be brilliant.
It didn't work, but this was a low-odds situation anyway. It was worth a shot.
MORE:How son Justin Crawford made history like his father, Carl, with Don Mattingly
Drew Gilbert nearly let a fly ball hit the ground to prevent a sacrifice fly that could have allowed the winning run to score.
The key players involved were Drew Gilbert from the San Francisco Giants and Alec Bohm from the Philadelphia Phillies, with Adolis Garcia on third base.
Alec Bohm's fly ball was significant as it was nearly 400 feet long and had the potential to end the game with a walk-off win for the Phillies.
Kirby Smart and Pete Golding reminisce about their time with Nick Saban as Alabama coaches.
Kentucky Derby 2026: Latest Odds, Scratches, and Horse Numbers
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Gilbert opted to catch the ball as close to the ground as possible.
Normally, an outfielder will catch the ball up above their shoulder. In this case, they'd try to get a quick running start to build momentum through a catch up high right into a throw toward home.
Gilbert knew he was too deep to have any chance of such a throw getting Garcia, so instead, he went for something tricky.
The goal of Gilbert's approach was to get Garcia to leave third base early.
A runner would be used to the timing of the ball dropping into a glove up by the shoulders. That extra split-second could've gotten Garcia to bite.
Garcia was likely patient in this situation, knowing that it was too deep to throw him out. No reason to risk even being close to leaving early.
With instant replay in place now, it's easier to potentially catch a guy leaving early in this case, so Gilbert did his best. It didn't work, but it was worth a shot.