Guardians rookie loses track of outs, throws ball into stands during win over Royals
Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona had a question for rookie outfielder Oscar Gonzalez when he returned to the dugout in the sixth inning of Monday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
“I just asked him, ‘I haven’t been to Triple-A in a while. Do they make you get three outs there?’” Francona told reporters following Cleveland’s 7-3 win over the Royals.
Francona flashed a smile as he recounted the conversation, and the Guardians could laugh about what turned out to be a harmless but rare gaffe by Gonzalez.
The Royals’ Andrew Benintendi was at first base with one out when Salvador Perez flied to right. Gonzalez made the catch and, thinking it was the third out of the inning, tossed the ball into the stands.
As Bally Sports Kansas City’s Rex Hudler noted, Benintendi was awarded two bases and Gonzalez was charged with an error. Despite the blunder, the Royals were unable to score in the frame.
Monday’s game was just the fourth Gonzalez has played in the majors, and he’s batting .438 with two doubles.
Gonzalez told MLB.com the reaction in the dugout meant a lot to him.
“(My teammates) were just being funny and having a little laugh about it,” Gonzalez said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero, “but at the same time, they just told me to forget about it, keep going. And that was really important for me.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 8:48 AM.
