For a brief moment, the Boston Red Sox and their fans thought that Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays would end in victory with a dramatic, walk-off home run. They were wrong. Then, they were really wrong.
With the Red Sox trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Connor Wong came up with one out and runners on first and second. Wong smacked the 1-0 offering from Erik Swanson to deep left-center field. Reese McGuire, the runner on second base, thought it was a home run, as he put his arm up and began to trot. He sped up as he got to third, thinking the ball might hit off the wall. But the ball did not hit off of the wall, nor did it go over it.
Toronto center fielder Kevin Kiermaier tracked the ball down and made a slight leap to catch it. While it was was an above average catch, it’s one that a Major League outfielder, especially one as good as Kiermaier, will make far more often than not. But by the time McGuire realized that the ball was caught, it was too late. Kiermaier threw the ball into second baseman Santiago Espinal, who tagged second base for the final out.
"The Red Sox run themselves out of the ballgame, here."
"That is so unfortunate. You just can't do that right there." pic.twitter.com/81wlTml6Ga
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 5, 2023
As would be expected, baseball fans were highly critical of McGuire. Third base coach Carlos Febles was also not spared, as seemed to also think that the ball was uncatchable until it was far too late.
Maybe it’s just that nobody explained the rules of the game to Reese. Honest mistake. https://t.co/NBh1eGRlzK
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) August 5, 2023
you have to be kidding https://t.co/s4fqCHAbdD
— brianna pirre (@bsp_13) August 5, 2023
Yikes. https://t.co/IYE1HsJ8Y1
— Jeremy Muck (@JeremyMuck) August 5, 2023
Reese McGuire thought this ball was over the green monster and the third base coach Carlos Febles told him to going so the Red Sox lose the game on a double play.
Absolutely pathetic. Baseball IQ is very low here. pic.twitter.com/IZWLkQvDK4
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) August 5, 2023
Carlos Febles has to be fired on the spot, he told McGuire that it was a HR. pic.twitter.com/Ug4e5ujq9D
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) August 5, 2023
There is nothing “unfortunate” about this. “Unfortunate” implies there is a level of luck. There is nothing lucky or unlucky about being a dumbass. It’s a choice. https://t.co/Ja8dMJy4bG
— Matt McCarthy (@MattMcCarthy985) August 5, 2023
Idiots…and not the 2004 version. Amazing how these guys don’t know baseball…and it’s all over the big leagues daily. https://t.co/h48kSmkNOt
— Brent Martineau (@BrentASJax) August 5, 2023
With McGuire throwing his arm up in celebration, one may be inclined to say this is baseball’s version of Leon Lett’s premature celebration in Super Bowl XXVII that ended with Don Beebe knocking the ball out of Lett’s hands.
But while the stage there was bigger, this play was actually much worse. Lett’s mistake happened in the fourth quarter of a game that had long been decided. It was made for blooper reels but ultimately didn’t cost his Dallas Cowboys anything substantial. We can’t say that about this mistake.
[Photo Credit: NESN]
