On Friday, Oakland A's outfielder Seth Smith turned in a defensive gem that could receive consideration for Play of the Year in Major League Baseball.
On Saturday night, the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates were involved in what very well could be the exact opposite of the Play of the Year. And no, this has nothing to do with the insensitive gesture made by Humberto Quintero in the dugout during Bruce Chen's interview. Though that certainly qualifies as the poorest use of judgment we've seen recently.
This actually took place on the field, where Kansas City's Mike Moustakas and Pittsburgh's All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen teamed up to botch a routine base hit in every possible way.
Have a look:
That's one of the least boring singles you'll see that didn't include a milestone or run scoring opportunity. But you have to at least give credit to Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Matt Hague for being on the ball and spotting the blunder immediately. He's the only guy in the clip that gets a passing grade.
For Moustakas, the misstep continues an adventurous stretch of baseball over the past three weeks. It started with a headlong dive into the expensive seats at Yankee Stadium while chasing a foul pop-up. It continued in Baltimore, where he again was tracking a foul ball before crashing into a fleeing Camden Yards security guard. And then there was Saturday, where the only thing that got in his way was his own two feet.
[Related: Bruce Chen interview interrupted by teammate making racist gesture]
And honestly, as odd as that part was, it wasn't nearly as strange to me as McCutchen whiffing on a routine pickup, giving the runner an opportunity for an extra 90 feet. I say that understanding McCutchen has committed a dozen errors over the past two seasons, but he's about as smooth and sure-handed as you'll find when it comes to picking up the baseball.
Just a weird play. It didn't have any baring on the result, as Pittsburgh held on to win by the same 5-3 score that was on the board when it occurred, but it's not often you see two unusual miscalculations and/or mental lapses intersecting so imperfectly at the big-league level.
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