The New York Yankees appeared to be on the verge of completing a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, needing just one out to close the door on their division rivals on Sunday afternoon.
The ninth inning didn't go smoothly, however, as the O's were able to load the bases against pitcher Clay Holmes. With two outs in the inning, Holmes induced a fly ball to left field from center fielder Cedric Mullins—one which seemed destined to be a routine out for left fielder Alex Verdugo.
Verdugo had some difficulties tracking the ball, however. The left fielder initially charged in as if Mullins' hit was going to land in front of him, only to realize that it was actually going well over his head. His attempt to redirect and make a play on the ball was futile, as the ball bounced a few feet away from his outstretched arms, resulting in a Baltimore walk-off victory.
Statcast listed Verdugo's catch probability on the game-ending hit as 99%, while Mullins had an xBA of .150 on his fly ball to left.
Verdugo's mishap in the outfield did not go unnoticed on social media, as his error that resulted in the Yankees painful loss was a hot topic of discussion on social media in the aftermath of the game.
CEDRIC MULLINS WALKS IT OFF WHAT A GAME pic.twitter.com/tbLQScZYNR
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 14, 2024
That Verdugo fly ball had a 99 percent catch probability.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) July 14, 2024
MLB 3D shows Alex Verdugo getting fully possessed by a demon after his defensive gaffe in the bottom of the 9th.
— Avi Miller 🟦 (@AviMiIIer) July 14, 2024
Watch out for the evil spirits of the #Orioles left field wall: pic.twitter.com/23nykfuHcY
Cedric Mullins' walk-off double had an xBA of .150, per Statcast. Alex Verdugo's catch probability was 99%.
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 14, 2024
His jump was so bad he ran more feet (51) than he needed to catch the ball (46) and still came nowhere close.
A look at his jump and the Orioles' celebration after: pic.twitter.com/YTZ4Z0xRtn
Alright, Verdugo has me rolling right now. pic.twitter.com/VnmZEthLer
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) July 14, 2024
I'm glad the Yankees are getting the full Alex Verdugo experience almost brings a tear to my eye
— Hogdale (@Hogdale_) July 14, 2024
Didn’t love the plays by Volpe and Verdugo at the end of that game
— Talkin’ Jake (@TalkinJake) July 14, 2024
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Yankees' Alex Verdugo Stuns Fans by Misjudging Fly Ball to Lose Game vs. Orioles.
