Heading into this season, defense was always going to be an issue for the Philadelphia Phillies. They posted a bottom-third fielding percentage in 2021 and did little improve defensively in the offseason.
But even the worst defensive teams shouldn’t have a breakdown like the one that happened on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Braves. It was straight out of a Little League blooper reel.
With the score tied in the fifth inning and Austin Riley at the plate for the Braves, Dansby Swanson attempted to steal second off a ball in the dirt. While J.T. Realmuto did a decent job knocking the ball down, his throw was too high for Jean Segura and somehow evaded the glove of Bryson Stott backing up the throw. As the ball trickled into the outfield, Odubel Herrera completely misplayed the bounce.
