Ronny Simon, the usually upbeat and jovial infielder for the Miami Marlins, was seen crying and running for the dugout after he committed three errors and nearly made a fourth in a disastrous performance Tuesday night that cost the Marlins dearly.
Simon, 25, made just his 19th career appearance in the big leagues when the Marlins faced the Padres Tuesday night, and it’s one he would like to forget soon. The utility infielder’s repeated mistakes led to the Padres mounting a 6-run rally, resulting in an 8-6 victory for San Diego.
The first sign of trouble for Simon came in the second inning after he failed to handle a ball that hit his glove. He then compounded the error by throwing wildly at home plate, allowing a run to score and making it 6-3 Marlins.
In the next inning, Simon failed to handle a chopper that made it past him, allowing a run to score and another runner to move to third with one out. The play was initially ruled an error, but it was later changed to a hit. Nonetheless, the botched play led to another Padres run after the initial mishandling of the chopper, and the score became 6-5 in favor of the Marlins.
Things did not improve for Simon in the fourth inning when he committed back-to-back errors on the first two plays; one a fielding error and the other a throwing error. San Diego’s next hitter singled, and the Padres tied the game.
Simon left the field later in the fourth inning and was mercifully replaced in the fifth.
“It happens, it’s baseball,” Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. told reporters after the game. “Everyone that has won a Platinum or Gold Glove has had one of those nights. I definitely know he’s a great player; he has won MVP from the Winter League over there in the Dominican, and I’ve seen him play really good baseball. I have no doubt he’s going to be a really good baseball player.”
The Marlins currently sit at a disappointing 21-32 and are 13.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East.