June 27 (UPI) — Miami Marlins pitcher Elieser Hernandez had somewhat of a rough outing Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, including a balk when he tripped over himself on the mound.
Hernandez allowed two runs and four hits, while walking two batters in four innings at Marlins Park in Miami. But his most memorable play might have occurred in the top of the second inning during the 5-3 loss.
Hernandez had runners on first and second base when Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Godley stepped up to the plate. The right handed starter began the sequence by stepping forward in his normal pitching motion.
But instead of releasing the baseball, he held onto it. He also crashed to the ground simultaneously.
John Ryan Murphy advanced to third base due to the balk, while Nick Ahmed moved to second base. Hernandez recovered by striking out Godley on five pitches, getting the third out of the frame.
“I told [Marlins catcher Bryan Holaday] Holly, that was a bad mound visit,” Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach said. “He went out right before that, and he tripped.”
Wallach was standing in as the Marlins’ manager Tuesday in place of Don Mattingly, who was serving a one-game suspension.
Hernandez has a 5.05 ERA on the season. The 19-year-old rookie is 0-5 in 12 appearances for the Marlins. Godley pushed his record to 9-5 on the season with Tuesday’s victory.
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