Yankees fans were left frustrated by a lackluster defensive play by Luis Garcia Jr. and Ryan McMahon in the series opener against the Blue Jays on Friday night. In a situation that could have been a clear inning-ending double play, McMahon fielded the ball at third and then made a wild throw to Garcia Jr. at first, who failed to grab it on the hop.
Soon after, Garcia grabbed the ball and threw it back to McMahon in an attempt to tag out Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was tagging up from second. It was yet another wild throw to third base, allowing the Blue Jays to score a run on the wildest play of the night.
Watch the video here:
Fans were quick to share their reactions to the wild play on social media.
“Seriously, what are we doing? Why are we V-triggering people and not playing baseball?” one fan commented.
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“Garcia should have never thrown the ball to third,” another fan commented.
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The Blue Jays won the series opener 3-1, backed by a two-RBI night from catcher Alejandro Kirk. The Yankees slumped on offense once again, as their sole run came off the bat of CF Trent Grisham, who crushed a home run in the sixth to give the visitors the lead, which the Jays quickly turned around in the same inning.
What Was Luis Garcia Jr.’s Reaction to the Errant Throw?
Speaking to the media after the game, Garcia Jr. reflected on his throwing error to third, which allowed the runner to score at home. The 26-year-old Dominican explained the play and later said it didn’t go as planned.
“It’s a key play of the game right there; you’re trying to execute a double play and get out of that inning. Trying to execute there, pick up, do a pickup there at first base. And I couldn’t do that there in that moment. At the same time, I see him bloody running, being aggressive. And now, you know, the focus is to make a good throw and get him out there. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way we wanted,” Garcia Jr. said via his interpreter.
Garcia was acquired by the Yankees from the Nationals a day before the trade deadline in exchange for four prospects. The Dominican is having a thrilling campaign at the plate this season, with a .278 batting average, 24 home runs, 78 RBIs, and an .864 OPS.
The Bombers will continue their intra-divisional series against Toronto with a must-win Game 2 tomorrow.
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