Maybe Griffin Conine found it distracting or intimidating. One can see why. Having “Weed Man” standing there, staring at you like that could be a creeper alert. Or perhaps it could have just been a brain lapse. We all have them, right? Something obviously got to the talented left fielder of the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
Let’s set the scene for you. Conine must have been feeling pretty good last night. He was in a game against the Tennessee Smokies being made up because of rain. In his first at-bat of the game, he smacked a 2-run homer giving his team a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Now to the bottom of the second inning. Conine was again getting the job done for his team. With two Smokies’ runners on base, back he went. He made the catch of the fly ball just before reaching the warning track. Dropping it would have been embarrassing. But that’s not the issue.
Math Mistakes Can Equal Baseball Errors
You see, it is simple. Instead, here is what happened. After making the catch Griffin Conine kindly tossed the ball over the wall to a lucky fan. We usually love seeing baseball players doing that, right? The problem though was math related. There were only two outs at the time, not three.
Watching the video you see Griffin Conine quickly realized his mistake. So the best thing he could was shrug it off. That is besides preparing himself for the discomfort upon re-entering his team’s dugout. Yes, it was a major whoopsie for the Blue Wahoos. Both of the Tennesse Smokies were allowed to advance. One run scored to giving the home team a 4-2 lead, much to the delight of the crowd.
But the gift didn’t last long. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos staged a rally with the help of a 7-run sixth inning. They covered Conine and get the last laugh, winning the game 12-7.
Does the baseball name Griffin Conine sound familiar to you?
It should if you’re a baseball fan. His dad Jeff Conine, was known as “Mr. Marlin.” The Miami Marlins were one of the 6 teams the All Star played for in his 17-year Major League Baseball career. No doubt, Griffin Conine will be hearing about this play from Dad, too.
We’ll have to see if the Pensacola Bue Wahoos come up with any kind of a Veeck-like promotion for having more Fun with this blooper. It certainly adds up to possibilities.
