Watch: Outfielder's Brutal Fielding Gaffe Turns an Out into a Home Run
Seattle Mariners center fielder Mallex Smith did everything right in tracking down a deep fly ball hit by the San Diego Padres’ Austin Hedges on Tuesday — except catch it.
Instead of an out, Smith’s blunder turned into a home run.
It happened in the bottom of the sixth inning at Petco Park. The Padres were leading 4-2 as Hedges stepped up with Ryon Healy on first.
Hedges hit a deep fly ball to the warning track that Smith had a bead on. He timed his jump perfectly and reached for the ball, but it bounced out of the pocket of the glove and bounded over the fence for a two-run homer.
Had it not hit Smith’s glove, it would have not left the ballpark.
It was ruled a home run, not an error, but it’s a catch that Smith put himself in position to snag and should have caught.
Mariners give up a home run…off the glove of Mallex Smith ?♂️ #TrueToTheBlue pic.twitter.com/0WwLoYSoeP
— Seattle Sports (@SeattlesSports) April 24, 2019
“I did everything right,” Smith told the Seattle Times. “I had a good idea of where I was. I’d practiced it earlier today. I knew where the wall was. I timed it well. I saw the ball. I just didn’t complete the play. That’s the next step.”
“It caught me on the palm and just kind of toilet bowled out of there,” he added. “I’m not sure what I can do about that, maybe fix your glove a little bit better. …
“It’s just been the way things have been going for me.”
The Padres eventually won the game 6-3.
Smith is certainly not the first player to give away a home run. The St. Louis Cardinals’ Dexter Fowler did it Sunday against the New York Mets’ Noah Syndergaard.
A little help from Odin. ⚡️⚡️⚡️ pic.twitter.com/dfiNW1onaZ
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 21, 2019
Then there is the granddaddy of all flubs by Jose Canseco when he was with the Texas Rangers.
@JoseCanseco like to be president but was born in Cuba. Maybe head of Homeland Security. He’s still recovering from the HR off his head. pic.twitter.com/BW4eBpEwNR
— AndyBeshear (@AndyBeshear) April 19, 2019
That will never be topped.
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