Yoenis Cespedes strikes out to end game in Royals 4-3 victory over Mets, USA Today
If there was one play that set the tone for Sunday’s 4-3 Opening Night loss to the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, some would say it came in the first inning when left fielder Yoenis Cespedes dropped a very routine flyball that led to an early unearned run that would prove to be the difference in the game.
A Gold Glove left fielder, Cespedes’ flub allowed third baseman Mike Moustakas to reach base with one out. After a passed ball by Travis d’Arnaud he would advance and eventually came around to score off Mets ace Matt Harvey.
“It’s baseball. Things happen,” said Harvey in defense of his teammate. “Nobody’s trying to do anything out there except to get outs and do everything we can to help the team. Errors happen. It’s part of the game.” (NY Post)
Cespedes himself had little to say about his faux pas. “The ball just fell out of my glove,” Cespedes told reporters after the game. “The ball just fell. I’m human.”
Watching the play unfold was reminiscent of Game 1 when Cespedes misplayed a flyball to center, leading to an inside-the-park home run for Alcides Escobar.
Unfortunately for Cespedes, when presented with a chance to redeem himself in the ninth inning of last night’s contest with the Mets down by just a run, he struck out to end the game with the tying and winning runs on base. Game over.
“That was as shocking as anything,” manager Terry Collins said about his outfielder’s dropped ball. “Gold Glove out there, it surprised everybody.”
