"Mr. $400M contract forgot how to baseball" - MLB fans react to Julio Rodriguez's "once in a lifetime" error in damaging loss to Yankees
Julio Rodriguez made a crucial error Wednesday night, one that cost the Seattle Mariners an important win. The outfielder began the top of the 10th as the ghost runner on second base. He moved to third on a single. The winning run stood at first, and the crucial tying run was at third in the form of Rodriguez.
Randy Arozarena struck out, and in the process, his bat went flying toward third base. Rodriguez backed out of the way quickly and wandered around for a moment collecting himself after the near-miss.
The New York Yankees were paying attention, though, and catcher Austin Wells tossed the ball to Jazz Chisholm Jr., who applied the tag in time to record a strange double play. The Yankees recorded one more out to lock down the win, hampering Seattle's playoff hopes.
It was a stunning error from such a talented player, and MLB fans made sure to let him know it in the comments of the post shared by the league. Others mocked the Mariners for one of the silliest mistakes all season.
"My man isn’t playing with a full deck," one said.
"Why do the Mariners keep doing this, I legitimately have to know?" another asked.
"That’s the kind of play you see once in a lifetime and still don’t understand," another added.
"Mariners aren’t very bright," one said.
There's no telling what would have happened if Rodriguez had stayed on third, but they had a 64.3% chance of winning after Cal Raleigh's single. The shocking double play dropped their chances to 9.6%.
Yankees clinch postseason berth thanks in part to Julio Rodriguez's stunner
The New York Yankees' magic number to clinch a postseason spot was one. The Seattle Mariners, who need every win to try and keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive, would've preferred to stall the Yankees.
Unfortunately, thanks in part to Julio Rodriguez briefly forgetting the rules of baseball, the Mariners lost in extra innings 2-1. The win clinched a playoff spot for the Yankees, who now hold a five-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.