The Cincinnati Reds suffered a devastating loss on Thursday when a ninth-inning error by center fielder Dane Myers led to a 10-9 defeat against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds held a 5-4 lead with two outs in the final inning when the game unraveled.
Shortstop J.J. Wetherholt lofted a ball to left-center field, which appeared to be a routine out for Myers. However, as Myers and left fielder TJ Friedl converged, the ball deflected off Myers' glove and rolled to the warning track. This misplay allowed two Cardinals runners to score, giving St. Louis a 6-5 lead.
Myers, visibly stunned, returned the ball to the infield. The Cardinals' offense then extended their lead with four additional runs in the top of the ninth. The Reds managed to score four runs in the bottom of the inning, but their comeback attempt fell short when Matt McLain hit a line drive to Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker with the bases loaded to end the game.
"Shaded over a good bit. We had talked before the play. Anything in that gap with how we were shaded was supposed to be mine," Myers told reporters after the game, referencing the pre-play discussion with Friedl. "I called him off and just didn't make the play." He acknowledged that the sun might have been a factor, but stated, "I know the sun may have been tough."
Reds manager Terry Francona described the error as a simple baseball miscue. "TJ looked like he was fighting the sun and I was kind of glad that Myers called him off," Francona said. "Just didn't look it into his glove. Just glanced off."
The loss dropped the Reds' record to 61-67, placing them seven games behind the final National League wild-card spot with just over a month remaining in the regular season.