It's early in spring training, which means players are still getting back into the swing of things. Hitters are catching up to fastballs, and fielders are, well, still remembering how to catch pop-ups.
In Sunday's game between the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays, one lucky Rays player came away with a home run that barely left the infield.
Kameron Misner skied a pop-up in the seventh inning that landed in shallow center field. Four Tigers players approached it, but no one came up with it. To make matters 10 times worse, shortstop Andrew Navigato fell and kicked the ball, which then rolled so far away from everyone that Misner was able to come all the way around to score.
It?s not even March and the Tigers might already have the most embarrassing play of the 2024 season
Kinda impressive when you think about it pic.twitter.com/6XrcsDNNVs
— Calico Joe (@CalicoJoeMLB) February 25, 2024
The play was officially scored a home run for Misner, and it was unofficially scored as the most embarrassing play of spring training so far.
Luckily for the Tigers, the Miami Marlins also laid claim to that title when they turned a double play against a ghost runner with two outs. We're not sure which one was worse, but they're both equally funny.
Selected by the Marlins in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Misner was traded to Tampa Bay in 2021. He hit 21 home runs with the Triple-A Durham Bulls last season and is hoping for a call-up in 2024. With luck such as this inside-the-park round-tripper, he'll be making his debut in no time.
