I’ve seen a lot of crazy things in Major League Baseball but I’ve never seen a play like the one Nyjer Morgan made. The Nats center fielder went back on a ball hit to the wall by Orioles outfielder Adam Jones. As Morgan leaped up to make the catch, the ball hit off his glove. Thinking the ball went over the wall for a home run, Morgan spiked his glove into the ground in disgust and began to stomp around. Little did Morgan know the ball actually stayed inside the park and was sitting on the warning track while he was throwing his fit. Left fielder Josh Willingham came racing over to grab the ball and throw it in, but Jones beat the relay home for an inside the park home run making the score 4-2 Orioles.
Morgan explained after the game that he thought he knocked the ball over the wall and that’s why he lost his head. Anyone who sees the play can understand the explanation because there’s no other reason why he would get so pissed off. It was obviously a stupid play by Nyjer — one he regrets — but as manager Jim Riggleman says, it wasn’t done with malicious intent. I doubt Morgan ever does something like that again but I’m certainly thankful he did it the one time. It gave us this incredible video that we probably won’t see at the major league level ever again:
Sources:
Morgan’s gaffe gives Jones inside-the-parker [Nationals.com]
