The ball sailed into the right field corner, where an alert Trot Nixon nabbed it and came up firing to get Sanchez as he headed for second. Sanchez would've been out, too, if the throw hadn't been about 12 feet over the shortstop's head. All fans with a soul were hoping O'Leary would try to throw home, but he chose discretion as the better part of valor. That 30 seconds of lunacy was the climax and symbol of the Sox' nightmare. A dropped throw by Brian Daubach and a wild throw to third by Ohka, each of which scored KC runs, were subdued, tasteful plays in comparison.
Players hate errors.
They're not just harmful to the team, they're personally embarrassing. Fielding mistakes, especially wild throws, are inherently comical. Nobody laughs when a quarterback misses an open receiver by 10 yards. But if a catcher throws the ball into center field, it's a big yuk even for the home team fans. And as often happens, the tee-ball triple, like Ohka's throw to third, was the result of a fielder forcing the action.