Eeek … Back-to-Back Errors Cost Rockies The Game in Extras

July 26, 2016, by Michael Cerami Baseball Is Fun

Woof. This is one that would keep me up at night.

With the scored tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 1oth inning yesterday, the Baltimore Orioles managed to get runners at the corners with just one out and their best hitter, Manny Machado, to the plate. Now, for the season, Machado is batting .312/.372/.550 with 20 home runs and a less than 17.0% strikeout rate. Put differently, there was a good chance he was going to put the ball in play, and put the ball in play hard.

The funny thing is, Rockies pitcher Jordan Lyles probably wishes that he did, because what followed was one of the most painful ways to lose a game:

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Lyles delivers the pitch and Machado hits a slow bouncer right back to the mound. If he wanted, Lyles could have come home with it or even tried for the double play … that’s how much time he had. Seeing the ball in play, anyway, Adam Jones broke for the plate from third, looking like he was going to be caught in no-man’s land. Unfortunately, a quick bobble from Lyles got him flustered and he rushed a throw to the plate.

But even the throw was accurate and in time, Rockies catcher Nick Hundley couldn’t field it cleanly and dropped it upon applying the tag (they didn’t actually score this as an error, but it looks like one to me). Jones is safe, the Rockies lose, and the battery has to buy everyone on the team a beer. Pretty sure that’s in the by-laws.

But hey guys, remember: there are always more embarrassing ways to lose a game: