You’ve probably never seen this call.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez has been around a lot of baseball, but he maybe hasn’t either.
6-foot-7 righty pitcher Orlando Ribalta ranged toward the plate for a bloopy popup, but he took his eyes off the ball.
Piralta didn’t hang on.
Replays showed the ball just squirted out of the glove.
The Nationals took advantage of the unexpected drop to turn a quirky double play.
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The umpires ruled that only one out counted, though. They said Piralta had intentionally dropped the ball to deceive the runner, and so it couldn’t be a double play.
Things got HEATED during the Dodgers vs Nationals game after umpires ruled that Orlando Ribalta dropped this ball on purpose to induce a double play.
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) April 9, 2025
Dave Martinez was not happy 👀
Via @SportsNetLA pic.twitter.com/ysKnQ6uVyR
Martinez hung out on the field screaming for about five minutes. Most impressive, he managed not to get ejected.
What a weird sequence of baseball.
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