Phillies’ defensive miscue on Wednesday makes Nationals’ blunders look not so bad

Through the first quarter of the season, the Washington Nationals have made two of the worst defensive plays in the major leagues.

The first was a ground ball to shortstop that cleared the bases thanks to two throwing errors, and the second was a simple pickoff attempt that allowed two runs to score due to another two throwing errors. Both of those videos made the rounds on Twitter, with jokes about the rebuilding Nationals abound.

But on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Phillies committed a series of defensive miscues that makes those blunders by the Nationals look not so bad. 

With the score tied in the fifth inning against the Braves, Phillies pitcher Jose Alvarado bounced a breaking ball with a runner on first. And then all hell broke loose. 

This looks like every little league game I’ve ever coached. pic.twitter.com/jAkzRFy1hJ

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) May 26, 2022

J.T. Realmuto’s throw to catch Braves runner Dansby Swanson at second was a tad high for Jean Segura to reel in. Shortstop Bryson Scott was there to back up, but he missed the errant throw. Then, somehow, the ball also evaded center fielder Odubel Herrera, who watched the ball go under his glove to allow Swanson to jog home — scoring from first on a not-so-simple wild pitch. 

While any Little League-esque sequence in the big leagues is shocking, it may be less so for the Phillies, who entered the year considered one of the worst defensive teams in baseball. Through the first two months of the season, Philadelphia ranks second-to-last in the majors in FanGraphs’ defensive runs saved at minus-25.