Philadelphia Phillies outfielders Edmundo Sosa and Johan Rojas allowed a fly ball to drop for a hit in an embarrassing blunder during Tuesday night's game in Atlanta.
It happened in the bottom of the second inning with one out and nobody on with the Phillies holding a 1-0 lead. Braves batter Austin Riley hit a high fly ball to left-center field. It appeared to be an easy play, with the only question being whether the catch would be made by left fielder Sosa or center fielder Rojas.
Both players ran towards the ball, with Rojas appearing to slow down first when he saw Sosa and thought he was making the play. A moment later, however, Sosa stopped and looked over at Rojas, thinking he had the easy catch. It quickly became apparent that they failed to communicate as the ball dropped to the ground right in front of Rojas.
Well that’s not how you play baseball pic.twitter.com/j0Iy6i1OAr
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 9, 2025
Riley made it to second and was credited with a double, even though the Phillies outfield should have been charged with an error. Phillies pitcher Zach Wheeler would go on to give up a walk and a home run in the inning to put the Phillies in a 3-1 hole. If it weren't for the outfield miscommunication, the Braves rally would never have happened.
This is the second time this week we have seen an MLB outfielder misplay a fly ball. We understand mistakes happen, but these guys are paid to play baseball and make a lot of money compared to the rest of us. This shouldn't happen in the major leagues.
The Braves beat the Phillies 7-5, so the dropped fly ball was a major factor in the final outcome of the game. The fact that Rojas only has one year of major league experience and Sosa is normally a utility infielder may have contributed to this mishap. Manager Rob Thomson should keep this in mind when making his lineup decisions in the future.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
