There couldn’t be a much weirder start to an inning than what transpired when Josh Donaldson took the plate in the fifth inning of Game 1 of the ALDS.
The Yankees slugger boomed a fastball off of Guardians slugger Chad Quantrill, sending it toward the short porch in right field. As the ball barreled through the night sky, it appeared destined for the cheap seats.
There was just one problem: it didn’t reach the bleachers. Donaldson’s laser hit the top of the fence before bouncing into the path of right fielder Oscar Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was perfectly placed to play the ball off the one-hop. He fielded the ricochet beautifully before zipping the ball toward second base.
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Donaldson didn’t appear to get the memo, dapping up first base coach Travis Chapman as he rounded first base. Believing the ball left the yard, Donaldson got caught in an embarrassing rundown between first and second base. Josh Naylor eventually tagged him out, ending the threat.
Here’s the moment for those who haven’t seen it:
Josh Donaldson went into a home run trot, but the ball remained in play.
He ended up being out at first base.
🎥: @BRWalkoff pic.twitter.com/wwsX8Ha0x1
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) October 12, 2022
Josh Donaldson.
pic.twitter.com/KEJR0H94vi— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) October 12, 2022
Tuesday wasn’t the first time Donaldson got caught out for hot-dogging a barreled shot. In fact, the former AL MVP got thrown out in an eerily similar situation just last month:
Josh Donaldson drives in Judge but gets thrown out at second because he wasn’t hustling out of the box pic.twitter.com/Pj3RaepwHX
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 5, 2022
To be fair to Donaldson, he was far from the only one who thought the ball had cleared the fence. In fact, per NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty, the stadium’s sound technicians started playing the home run siren after Donaldson’s blast reached the wall.
Hard to blame Josh Donaldson there. Even Yankee Stadium played the home run sounds.
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) October 12, 2022
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Fortunately for Donaldson and his Yankees teammates, the mistake was quickly rectified. Isiah Kiner-Falefa reached third base after Gonzalez misplayed his single in the very next at-bat. He was subsequently driven in by Jose Trevino after a sacrifice fly, giving the Bronx Bombers their first lead of the game.
But it was yet another forgettable moment in a season increasingly filled with them for Donaldson, a player who has largely struggled since donning the pinstripes.
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