Every baseball season produces one play that makes coaches instinctively reach for a bottle of aspirin. This year's entry came courtesy of Mets-Royals, where Carson Benge turned a routine tapper back to the mound into three runs without hitting the ball out of the infield. It required three errors, several increasingly optimistic throws, and enough panic to qualify as a Little League instructional video. Naturally, because the Mets are contractually obligated to top themselves, they still found a way to lose 16-12.
*** Now chatting in #ComedyOfErrors ***
MLB_NewsBot: Mets vs. Royals.
Two on, two out.
Carson Benge hits slow roller back to pitcher Seth Lugo.
LugoMyEggo: finally
an easy one
/fields cleanly
LugoMyEggo: alright
nice and easy
/THROW
*** throw sails past first base ***
JacAttack: ...
okay
not ideal
BengeWatching: wait
we're still doing baseball?
*** Jac chases ball into foul territory ***
JacAttack: I'VE GOT IT
EwingAndAPrayer: do we stop running?
MetTheParents: !!!
/gesticulates wildly
*** Jac throws generally toward third ***
*** ball veers toward backstop ***
EwingAndAPrayer: OH MY GOODNESS
*** EwingAndAPrayer has scored ***
BengeWatching: ...still running
*** BoBichette has scored ***
CarterJensational: WHERE IS IT
LoftinGoals: I GOT IT
I'LL SAVE THIS
*** perfect pickup ***
LoftinGoals: redemption time
/throws home
*** sails past catcher ***
CarterJensational: ...
why
*** Carson Benge has scored ***
BengeWatching: i hit the ball like twelve feet
how did i score?
OfficialScorer: alright
let's see...
OfficialScorer: ground ball to pitcher...
error...
another error...
another...
OfficialScorer: i'm gonna need a bigger scorecard
*** pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth has entered the chat ***
pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: that's baseball
or a fire drill
beautiful chaos either way
pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: somewhere
twelve Little League dads just yelled
"EAT THE BALL!"
JacAttack: i thought i could get him at third
LoftinGoals: i thought i could get him at home
CarterJensational: i thought somebody would throw it TO ME
*** HEY GUYS THIS IS JI
*** JIM THOME has entered the chat ***
WORDUPTHOME: HEY GUYS THIS IS JI
JIM THOME
WORDUPTHOME: SON
YOU HIT THAT BALL
ABOUT AS HARD
AS I OPEN A BAG OF CHIPS
AND YOU GOT THREE RUNS
BengeWatching: i'll take it
QuattersNeverWin: alright
let's calm down
it was only one play
with three monumental mistakes
*** seventh inning ***
LoftinGoals: remember when i threw it past home
i'd like to apologize
*** CRACK ***
*** HOME RUN ***
LoftinGoals: like that
QuattersNeverWin: THERE HE IS
LoftinGoals: one bad throw
one good swing
perfectly balanced
MLB_NewsBot: Final: Royals 16, Mets 12.
Carson Benge credited with a three-run play featuring three defensive errors.
Mets offense described as "creative."
Mets pitching described as "more creative."
MetTheParents: ...
BengeWatching: hold on
we SCORED THREE
on a ball that barely left the mound
and we STILL LOST?
WORDUPTHOME: SOMETIMES
THE WEAKEST HIT BALL
IS THE HARDEST ONE
BECAUSE EVERYBODY STARTS THINKING
INSTEAD OF PLAYING
BengeWatching: can i get three RBIs for emotional effort too?
OfficialScorer: don't push it
*** BengeWatching has left with the strangest three-run play of the season ***
*** JacAttack has left to practice the phrase "just take the out" ***
*** pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth has left insisting chaos is a defensive strategy ***
*** WORDUPTHOME has left wondering how a tapper turned into a highlight reel ***