The Chicago White Sox led the Seattle Mariners 7-2 going into the ninth before their bullpen imploded and allowed six runs, putting Seattle ahead 8-7. Closer Tom Wilhelmsen started the ninth for the Mariners, and allowed an infield single to Gordon Beckham. Then, he walked DeWayne Wise to put the winning run on base with none out. Kevin Youkilis singled to center to score Beckham and tie the game, and Adam Dunn launched a bomb to deep left field that fell about five feet short of ending the game.
Then, Paul Konerko stepped in. He hit a deep fly to right center, about the same distance from the wall as Dunn's shot. Mariners center fielder Michael Saunders and right fielder Eric Thames both converged on the ball. Thames made the catch, but collided with Saunders, and the ball squirted out of his glove back towards the infield, allowing Wise to score and the White Sox to get a comeback win of their own after nearly blowing the game.
It's an interesting case, because Thames clearly made the catch cleanly, and held on for a decent amount of time. The ball didn't fall from his grasp until he hit the ground, a couple seconds after making the catch. Even though Konerko could have been called out on the play, the speedy Wise probably would have scored from second tagging up anyway if both Saunders and Thames stayed down as long as they did.
