The Marlins got ripped to shreds for what Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen felt was an egregious mistake.
In the bottom of the sixth inning of Tuesday’s Mets-Marlins game, first-year Miami manager Clayton McCullough decided to intentionally walk Juan Soto with first base open to load the bases and face the red-hot Pete Alonso.
It wasn’t the walk that set off Cohen, though; it was that the Marlins decided to still play the infield in to cut the runner down at home, even though the bases were loaded and Alonso ranks in the 10th percentile in foot speed.
“And again they bring the infield in with the bases loaded and one out against Alonso,” Cohen said, beside himself. “What is going on? Why? Why would you set up the double play and then not play for the double play? … Something is askew.”
Two pitches into the at-bat, Alonso made the argument a moot point when he ripped a bases-clearing double into left-center field to put the Mets up 9-5.
But Cohen found another reason to call out the Marlins.
“Do you see how shallow the center fielder [Derek Hill] is playing? I mean against Pete Alonso, what are you doing?”
McCullough was the Dodgers’ first base coach for four seasons before taking over as Marlins skipper this year after they dismissed Skip Schumacher, the 2023 National League Manager of the Year, after two seasons.