Mark Teixeira has been a pretty good defender during his career, even winning five Gold Gloves. If this was the only defensive play you ever saw him make, you’d have no idea.
A bad hop sends Mark Teixeira tumbling to the ground and right into blooper reels
That ball did take a bad hop. But, a lot of balls take bad hops and rarely is this the result.
Had Teixeira pulled off that spinning backhand, it would have been a spectacular play. It still could have turned out alright if he just managed to get a glove or body on it. But spinning around and falling over while watching the ball bound past him and into the outfield has to be among the most embarrassing moments of his career.
At least he made up for it during the game by smacking a three-run home run and causing the benches to clear after getting upset about being hit by a pitch.
