Robinson Cano blames scoreboard error for not running out a double-play grounder
Robinson Cano’s not-very-great debut season for the New York Mets got a little worse on Friday, entirely by his own hand.
Facing Miami Marlins pitcher Adam Conley with men on first and second and one out in the seventh inning, Cano tapped a hard grounder back to the pitchers mound. It was an easy double play ball, and that’s exactly what happened with Cano out at first by at least 15 feet.
As the Mets’ broadcast put it, “Cano didn’t even bother trying to run, just jogged slowly down to first.”
Robinson Cano vs. the Marlins Park scoreboard
We’ve heard of players failing to run out easy grounders or pop-ups, but rare is the lackadaisical runner on a possible double play. Turns out, Cano actually had a reason ready for the light jog after the game, via Yahoo Sports’ Matt Ehalt:
Mickey on Cano: "“He came up proactively on his own and came up to me, the board said two outs, he thought there were two outs at the time, and he understands no matter what the board said, he needs to understand how many outs there are.”
— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) May 18, 2019
It appears that Cano and the Marlins Park stadium operations staff might have some beef.
Cano’s reaction to the play would back up his explanation, as the veteran second baseman seemed even more frustrated than your standard batter after hitting into a double play, grimacing and yelling out a profanity.
Robinson Cano’s very bad start to the season
Of course, that’s kinda been the summary of Cano’s season with the Mets so far. In his first season since the blockbuster trade that sent him to New York, Cano is hitting .255/.304/.389 with just three homers and 13 RBIs (even though he has hit third in all but five of the Mets’ games this season).
Cano was seen last night colliding with right fielder Michael Conforto while trying to chase down a fly ball, which led to Conforto being placed on the 7-day concussion injured list.
Cano currently holds a 93 OPS+ and ranks as the second-worst defensive second baseman in MLB in defensive runs saved. The Mets are in the first of five seasons in which they’re on the hook for $120 million total.
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