Marlins Rookie Ronny Simon Proves There Is Crying In Baseball After Forgettable Night
There is crying in baseball, apparently.
An error-filled outing by Miami Marlins rookie second baseman Ronny Simon left him in tears as the 25-year-old was removed halfway through Tuesday night's game against the Padres.
As Simon walked toward the mound after committing his fourth error (he would officially end the game with three after one was retracted), he grabbed his jersey and began wiping tears from his eyes before walking off the field. He did not return after Marlins Manager Clayton McCullough replaced him with Javier Sanoja for the rest of the game.
Simon's Errors Lead To Loss By Marlins
Simon's disastrous defensive day would directly contribute to the Marlins squandering a 6-run first-inning lead and ultimately losing to the Padres 8-6.
To be honest, there are two ways I could respond to Ronny Simon. I could go the route of absolutely ripping him and telling him that he's not fit to be a professional ballplayer. Crying? Tom Hanks told us all we needed to know about crying in baseball.
Or, I could take the high road and be a nice, genuine, supportive human being and offer a message of support.
Because I need some good karma in my life (and a couple of New York Knicks wins against the Pacers), I will go with the latter.
Stuff Happens In Baseball
Although it was a tough watch to see Simon, who was only playing in his 19th game with the Marlins, misplace the ball so many times, he needs to know that these things happen. Case in point: Derek Jeter, who had a MESS of a year in his professional debut in the Yankees minor leagues by setting a South Atlantic League record 56 errors. The Yankees Captain recently spoke during the University of Michigan's Commencement Address and referenced how he was even crying during that time period (although he waited till he got home and not in front of the whole world) but used his mistakes as motivation to get better.
Needless to say, it worked out for Jeter.
Rookie Ronny Simon Had Three Errors Before Leaving The Game
In a more recent example, future Hall of Famer Manny Machado ended up having multiple errors in one inning last week when the Padres played the Blue Jays.
I'm usually one to say never compare yourself to others, but in this instance, Ronny Simon needs to compare last night to the countless other MLB greats that endured the same exact thing and know that the game of baseball can be brutally cruel at times, but it's how one responds.
Fortunately, the Marlins are rallying behind Simon.
"Things just started to kind of snowball a little bit. You know, compound effect," McCullough said after the game. "It was tough. And we just thought, for us and him, just in that moment, making the change there was prudent just with kind of how things had transpired."
"I just talked to him," Marlins starting pitcher Max Meyer told reporters after the game. "I said, 'I know you're not trying to do any of that behind me. Keep your head up, and I obviously know you always want to have my back, and I'm going to try to get yours.' Stuff like that's going to happen. It's baseball at the end of the day, and I'm not going to hold anything behind him."
Damn right it is. Hopefully the Marlins give Simon another chance to undo his rough Tuesday night to re-instill confidence in the young player.
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