The Philadelphia Phillies are experimenting with a new-look outfield for Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves, and early on, they've had some mixed results.
Edmundo Sosa, who has manned various infield positions throughout his MLB career but only played five games in the outfield, started in left field on Tuesday, with Johan Rojas handling center field duties.
During the second inning, Austin Riley popped up a deep fly ball in between Sosa and Rojas, both of whom began tracking the ball in left-center field. When it came time to make the catch, however, the two outfielders both stopped moving and bizarrely watched the ball hit the ground right in front of Rojas. The ball bounced directly in front of Rojas's feet, who proceeded to fire it into the infield.
They forgot to catch the ball pic.twitter.com/a3LAI28pQq
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 8, 2025
The replay appeared to show Sosa calling for the ball, but he gave up on his pursuit seemingly under the impression that Rojas would secure the catch. It seems Rojas similarly expected Sosa to field the ball, and as a result, neither player went after it.
It was an unfortunate mistake, and a costly one, too, given Riley came around to score on a Sean Murphy home run a few at-bats later.
While that was a moment Sosa and Rojas will wish they could take back, Sosa did make an electric home run robbery earlier in the game, stealing away a home run from Marcell Ozuna in the first inning.
LEFT FIELDER EDMUNDO SOSA pic.twitter.com/kAU8Ft6Cv1
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 8, 2025
It's been a busy afternoon for Sosa in left field, and he's made both a bit of magic as well as a rather embarrassing mistake.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Miscommunication Between Phillies Outfielders Leads to Embarrassing Gaffe.
