The Chicago White Sox are not the only embarrassing MLB franchise from Chicago these days.
The Chicago Cubs produced an all-time lowlight during Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres. San Diego third baseman Manny Machado was up at the plate against Cubs ace Shota Imanaga in the fifth inning and should have made an out on two separate pitches in the at-bat.
On the very first pitch from Imanaga, Machado lifted a fly ball into right field that Chicago’s Kyle Tucker chased down into foul territory … and then just dropped. Then three pitches later on a 2-1 count, Machado got underneath another pitch and this time lofted an infield fly into foul territory … that Cubs third baseman Gage Workman also then dropped.
After fouling off a few more pitches, Machado finally made Chicago pay for their defensive missteps. He lifted a 2-2 Imanaga fastball into the left field seats for a solo homer (which was also the game’s very first run). Here is the video of the full sequence.
You really have to feel for Imanaga on that one. He did enough to get Machado out (multiple times) and then had to watch as his defense behind him suddenly turned into Dumb and Dumber.
The Cubs are doing well overall this season, leading the NL Central with a record of 11-8. But that has come with a series of ridiculous mishaps along the way, including over the weekend when one of their players missed a fly ball right in the middle of an interview with ESPN.
