Sometimes a foul ball is good for the hitter. Sometimes, a foul ball is good for the pitcher. Other times, a foul ball is not especially good for either the hitter or pitcher, but significantly worse for the hitter.
San Diego Padres star Juan Soto, unfortunately, found himself in the latter category during Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Soto fouled a 1-0 pitch from Baltimore’s Grayson Rodriguez off in the seventh inning. He then took a few steps out of the batter’s box before falling to the ground. Most people watching the game likely noticed what happened immediately. The collective groan upon seeing the replay on Petco Park’s big screen likely clued nearly everyone else in. And in case anyone was still not up to speed, the slow-motion replay left no doubt as to what happened.
After Soto pounded the ball into the ground, it bounced right back up, nailing him in the groin.
"Juan Soto grounds one off of Juan Soto, and he goes down hard… That is not where you want it… One replay, please. One and done…. That'll hurt your feelings."- Kevin Brown pic.twitter.com/OKh3jReQnJ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 15, 2023
Baseball fans felt everywhere felt Soto’s pain. Some couldn’t help but feel that it was strangely (and painfully) on brand with the season the Padres are experiencing.
Dang even I felt that. https://t.co/p3LZDkQeU9
— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) August 15, 2023
You can hear when the crowd sees the replay https://t.co/80BRdIr9rG
— Brian Kelly (@Brpkelly) August 15, 2023
got up much quicker than I would have https://t.co/5lt1MinHPi
— CHUCK(Y ) (@cdulaney85) August 15, 2023
Sums up the Padres’ season https://t.co/l3Lv4CCB9z
— Trolley Blue (@TrolleyBlue) August 15, 2023
Padres season in a …. nutshell.
I’ll show myself out. https://t.co/Hi8oDsaT7I
— Greg Moran (@gregmoran) August 15, 2023
Soto got up and stayed in the game. He finished his at-bat with the most understandable groundout in the history of Major League Baseball.

About Michael Dixon
About Michael:
-- Writer/editor for thecomeback.com and awfulannouncing.com.
-- Bay Area born and raised, currently living in the Indianapolis area.
-- Twitter:
@mfdixon1985 (personal).
@michaeldixonsports (work).
-- Email: mdixon@thecomeback.com
Send tips, corrections, comments and (respectful) disagreements to that email. Do the same with pizza recommendations, taco recommendations and Seinfeld quotes.
Recent Posts
Aaron Rodgers still going on about Jets
"There aren't any leaks in the boat."
Articles
With no dominant team, the NFL playoffs look wide open
Why Vanderbilt is the class of the SEC
The Vanderbilt Commodores were once an afterthought in the SEC. It’s hard not to blame you if you...
Lamar Jackson refuses to back head coach
"I just told you."
Articles
Five movies we look forward to seeing in 2026
Desmond Howard identifies Ohio State’s ‘biggest concern’ vs Miami
"That was my biggest concern."