Unapologetic Cano fails to run on DP again
MIAMI — The check is in the mail and the dog ate his homework.
Robinson Cano’s latest bone-headed baserunning play came without apology Sunday, after he stood near the batter’s box at Marlins Park and watched catcher Chad Wallach turn an inning-ending double play on his squib that started foul and rolled fair (left).
“I thought it was a foul ball,” Cano said after the Mets lost 3-0 to the Marlins.
Cano said the ball is foul in such instances “99 percent of the time” and blamed plate umpire Jordan Baker for not immediately informing him the ball was fair. It’s not clear if Baker said anything, but he signaled a fair ball as soon as Wallach touched the ball in fair territory.
It was the second time in three days Cano was retired on the back end of a double play without running.
“I don’t want to say it’s a bad look because, like I said, I thought it was foul, like everybody else,” Cano said.
On Friday he hit a comebacker to the pitcher and didn’t run to first base as the Marlins turned an easy inning-ending double play. Cano said he lost track of the number of outs, believing there were two, and said the scoreboard was incorrect.
Neither gaffe was deemed serious enough by manager Mickey Callaway to land Cano on the bench.
“Things are piling up on Robbie,” Callaway said. “Let’s face it: He hit into a double play and the ball lands fall and spins into fair territory. He hit it, looked down, saw it hit foul and by the time he looked back up, the ball had spun into fair territory and the play was ended. He realizes he has to run. It’s not like he is doing that on purpose.”
It doesn’t help that Cano’s former agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, is now the Mets general manager, perhaps tying the manager’s hands on disciplinary action. Callaway denied this was the case.
“I didn’t feel it was enough to warrant taking him out of the game,” Callaway said.