You almost have to feel sorry for Phillies fans. It was widely known that the Phillies were going to have defensive issues this season. And while they rank in the middle of the pack overall defensively, the Phillies have found ways to commit errors and defensive lapses in key moments.
Sometimes, those mistakes don’t show up accurately on the box score either — just look at Didi Gregorius.
During Thursday’s game between the Braves and Phillies, Orlando Arcia was up with the bases loaded and grounded into what should have been a taylor-made double play. The Phillies, though, would only get one out on the play and allow a run to score because Gregorius lost track of the outs.
DIDI GREGORIUS FORGOT HOW MANY OUTS THERE WERE?! pic.twitter.com/qwwCaK1U8i
— Brodes Media (@BrodesMedia) June 30, 2022
Didi didn't realize the Phils only had one out 😬😬😬 pic.twitter.com/U8MpgzEqGN
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) June 30, 2022
Gregorius took the force out at second and started jogging towards the dugout as if the inning was over. It was not over — the force play at second was the second out. He realized the mistake almost immediately, and even the Phillies crowd could be heard heckling Gregorius about the mental lapse.
The Phillies did respond with a seven-run bottom half of the second inning, but, of course, MLB fans could not believe the mistake. As a middle infielder, there’s no excuse to lose track of outs with the bases loaded. It’s as simple as that.
