The sooner Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier forgets about his series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the better off he’ll be.
In the eighth inning of Thursday’s game, Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield hit what appeared to be an RBI single to center field. Unfortunately, Kiermaier botched the routine play in center, letting the ball go completely under his glove. On the hard turf of Tropicana Field, the ball rolled all the way to the wall and Merrifield had himself a Little League home run.
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The embarrassment of the play was only heightened by the fact that it was the second time in the series that it happened to Kiermaier.
On Monday, he let a nearly identical ball off the bat of Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cain roll under his glove, giving Cain the Little League home run.
Lorenzo Cain somehow turned this into an inside-the-park homer… #Royals pic.twitter.com/FgnbwN5m0J
— Tater Talk: A Baseball Podcast (@TaterTalkPod) May 9, 2017
At this point, it’s important to note that Kiermaier is a two-time Gold Glove winning outfielder. In 2015, he won the Platinum Glove Award, given to the player voted as the best defender among the Gold Glove winners.
So, it can truly happen to anyone.