Atlanta Braves outfielder Eli White would love nothing more than to find a place to hide for a few days, and justifiably so.
Following an Alex Verdugo single in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday night, the Braves, trailing the San Diego Padres, 2-1, sent White in to pinch run. A Sean Murphy bunt quickly positioned him at second base as the tying run.
All was going according to plan until Ozzie Albies singled to center.
Ideally, that’s exactly what the Braves would want to happen. But White misread the ball and instead of turning the corner at third and potentially setting up a play at the plate, he inexplicably turned around and headed back to second base.
White apparently thought Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill had caught the ball, but he fielded it after a hop. The relay throw was cut off and White was embarrassingly gunned down at second.
Eli White thought Jackson Merrill caught the ball and then gets thrown out at 2nd base!😬😬 pic.twitter.com/O8j0ZqS2nx
— Baseball’s Office (@baseballsoffice) May 24, 2025
Video of the play from a different angle shows Braves third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo calling for White to hold at third and then reacting with stunned shock as he headed back to second.
The next batter, Michael Harris II, grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the game.
“It’s just a terrible mistake in a huge situation,” White said after the loss, via MLB.com. “It’s a tough one to swallow.
“I saw it go over the second baseman’s head, and I thought it was low, which ended up being a good read. I just didn’t trust it for whatever reason. I just got confused.”
That confusion likely cost Atlanta the game and will undoubtedly cement White as a meme for the remainder of the season.
