Watch: Comedy of errors by Red Sox gives Rays hilarious little league home run
The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox gave us one of the best—or worst, depending on your viewpoint of these things—little league home runs in the Major Leagues this season.
With the Rays already leading 4-2 in the top of the sixth inning, Yandy Diaz poked an innocent looking single through a huge hole on the right side of the infield that was created due to Manuel Margot running on the pitch.
That was when things completely fell apart for the Red Sox.
As Boston took its time getting the ball into the infield, Margot was able to race all the way around from first base to extend Tampa Bay's lead to 5-2. Things only managed to get worse for Boston.
Diaz aggressively went to take second base on the throw to the plate, resulting in Red Sox catcher Connor Wong trying to throw him out at second base.
But Wong's throw was awful, not only missing the Boston middle infielders, but also somehow evading all three Red Sox outfielders to roll out into deep center field.
That allowed Diaz to completely circle the bases for a classic little league home run.
The Rays are the best home run hitting team in the league, so they really do not need much help from opposing defenses in circling the bases. The Red Sox were still happy to oblige and give them a little extra boost.
That play also showed the versatility of the Rays' offense. Along with with their power, they are also one of the top base-stealing teams in MLB and do not hesitate to put runners in motion. Margot stealing on the pitch created the huge hole on the right side for Diaz's chopper to get through and start the chaos.
Had Margot not been running on the pitch, that ball probably turns into an easy out for the Red Sox. Instead it added to a 6-2 loss as the Rays improved to a league-best 42-19. The Red Sox are now 30-29 and occupy the bottom spot in the American League East, now 11 games behind the Rays.
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