Cleveland Guardians rookie Cooper Ingle had a moment he’d probably like back almost immediately after it happened. In the seventh inning of a tied game against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday, Ingle caught a routine fly ball in left field and then, clearly thinking he’d just recorded the third out, tossed the souvenir into the stands.
He had not recorded the third out. There was one out. The runner on second base trotted home on the two-base error, giving Texas a 3-2 lead they still held as of the eighth inning.
A Routine Play Turns Into a Expensive Mistake
Starter Tanner Bibee was dealing. He’d worked into the seventh with a 2-2 tie, one out, and a runner on second. Alejandro Osuna lifted a fly ball to left. Ingle caught it cleanly. It looked like Bibee might escape the jam and finish seven. Then Ingle turned toward the crowd and tossed the ball away.
The runner was awarded home. The Rangers took the lead. The Guardians haven’t officially said whether this one loss will define the game, but right now it’s the defining play.
Foul Territory posted the clip. It’s not pretty.
“The Rangers are gifted a run after Cooper Ingle forgot how many outs there were and threw the ball in the stands,” the account wrote.
Ingle Just Made His MLB Debut
This is the kind of mistake that tends to stick with a guy, especially one who just got called up. Ingle made his MLB debut less than a week ago. He raked in the minors, and the Guardians need offense bad with Jose Ramirez hurt. They brought him up hoping he could hit.
They didn’t bring him up to give away runs on fly balls. But Ingle isn’t the first guy to do this, and he won’t be the last. It happens more than you’d think. It just happens to be really noticeable when it’s a rookie in a tight game.
For Ingle, the only move now is to flush it and show up tomorrow. He’s still a legit prospect. The talent is there. He just learned a hard lesson in front of a few million people.
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