Nationals left fielder Juan Soto (22) watches as members of the Phillies grounds crew try to fix the safety netting after it collapsed during the eighth inning of Washington's game against the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday at Citizens Bank Park. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Protective netting collapses midgame in Philadelphia

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/6/21

Philadelphia Phillies staffers were left scrambling after the protective netting around the infield collapsed during Sunday’s game.

In the eighth inning of Sunday’s game, the netting somehow collapsed toward the field at Citizens Bank Park, forcing the game into a delay. The TV broadcast caught the moment it happened, complete with a pretty hilarious reaction from the Philadelphia crowd.

Well, we’ve seen it all today. The protective netting behind home plate and along the base lines collapsed and the Phillies-Nationals game is in a delay. pic.twitter.com/U1jQBTkXnY

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) June 6, 2021

What apparently happened was a cable snapped, causing the collapse and delay.

A cable just snapped and the protective netting behind home plate came down so now we're in a net delay in Philly pic.twitter.com/g3klW4Dxgb

— Ben Porter (@Ben13Porter) June 6, 2021

What followed was a hilarious saga as Phillies staffers tried to fix the netting so the game could continue. Initially, things did not go well.

There were 10 people on the field pulling rope to raise the netting. They failed. Fans booed.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) June 6, 2021

It now appears they are maybe attaching the netting to a grounds-crew four-wheeler and driving it away. Where’s MacGyver and the duct tape? pic.twitter.com/6qR7cIp2z2

— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) June 6, 2021

In the end, the grounds crew managed to fix things by using rope to tie a knot around a bit of railing to hold the netting up in a real feat of modern engineering.

Incredible feat of impromptu engineering by the Citizens Bank Park staff to re-raise the netting after a support wire snapped. This knot is allowing this game to be finished. #Phillies pic.twitter.com/iparz8mnaQ

— Dan Barr (@vDanBarr) June 6, 2021

The delay ended up being more than 20 minutes long before everything got sorted out.

We’ve seen some fairly silly grounds crew moments in baseball over the years. This one is right up there. Frankly, even though it took a while, they should really be hailed for their ingenuity, which allowed the game to continue.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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