Colorado Rockies pitcher Jake Bird had a very ungraceful moment during Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field in Denver, Co.
With the Rockies nursing a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning, Bird hustled to cover first on a weak ground ball up the line hit by Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio. Unfortunately, the combination of getting to the bag and catching the throw did not work out for him, and he wound up falling and missing the ball completely.
Replays showed that Bird wound up completely planting on the first base bag as a result of the fall.
Face planting onto the first base bag doesn't sound fun pic.twitter.com/i1k1zJBTgL
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 10, 2025
Bird was fine and wound up staying in the game. However, he issued back-to-back walks after this, and the Brewers ultimately wound up tying the game in the 8th, adding insult to injury.
Even the best players sometimes have moments like this when trying to play defense. Despite how silly it looked, it probably worked out better for Bird that his face went into first base instead of the infield dirt. The base has some give to it, unlike the ground.
Bird is in his fourth season with Colorado, and was previously most notable for nearly getting into a fight with Bryce Harper. Entering Thursday’s outing, he had not allowed a run in five innings this season, and had only allowed one walk and one hit to go with seven strikeouts.
