Jeff Francoeur briefly forgets how to throw during ridiculous error

Baseball is a game of failures. If you make an out seven out of 10 times at the plate, that’s considered a success.

At the same time, hitting a tiny ball traveling 95 mph with a thin bat is not an easy task. It requires an exceptional amount of hand-eye coordination and athleticism.

Sometimes, though, even the most routine plays can end in disaster. Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jeff Francoeur became the latest victim of baseball’s cruel intentions during Sunday’s game.

In the top of the fifth inning, Francoeur attempted to make a play on a Denard Span grounder. The ball was hit hard, and Francoeur had no choice but to try and play it off the wall.

Francoeur put himself in good position to make the play, but couldn’t get the job done. He whiffed on the his first attempt to pick up the ball, sending it back a couple feet.

He eventually managed to grab the ball, but apparently didn’t have a good grip. As he attempted to make the throw back to the infield, the ball traveled about three feet.

Francoeur would eventually get the ball back in, but it was too late. Span was charged with a double, but was able to advance to third on Frenchy’s error. Span would come around to score, so the mistake proved to be costly.

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That’s baseball. Even on the most routine chances, a player can wind up looking foolish. We would love to tell Francoeur it gets better, but that’s not really the case in this game, is it?

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