Player cuts a brain fart in front of 7,000-plus baseball fans

Ya know, over the course of my life, beginning with my first trip to Briggs Stadium in 1960 to watch Frank Lary and the Detroit Tigers whip on the Washington Senators, I’m sure I’ve seen over a hundred baseball games. That includes stuff I’ve covered as a newspaper sportswriter for The Holland Sentinel and, before that, The Grand Rapids Press.
I once drove, alone, from Bonita Springs, Florida, up to Tampa Bay to watch the Devil Rays and the Baltimore Orioles, when they both sucked, play each other.
I’ve been to a number of minor-league ballparks. Once, while on a trip to Texas to visit our third son at Lackland AFB, we drove past a ballpark in Tennessee that I didn’t even know was there. Of course, son No. 2 and I had to go and check it out. At the time, it was the home of the West Tenn. Diamond Jaxx, a Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Now it’s the Jackson Generals and belongs to the Seattle Mariners. Maybe I’ll have to go again.
Anyway, you get my point. Until Friday night, I thought I had seen everything … except a triple play. Let me tell you about the misadventure of West Michigan Whitecaps first baseman Dominic Ficociello.
I hope this comes off as a cute story rather than a critical comment because I and those in the area where I was sitting considered it a good WTF moment.
Here’s the scenario. The Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers) and the Peoria Chiefs (St. Louis Cardinals) are tied at 1-1 after five innings. The leadoff batter for Peoria gets on base — walk, single, it really doesn’t matter — and then is sacrificed to second for the first out.
Still with me? OK.
The next matter hits a sharp one-hopper that is fielded cleanly by West Michigan second baseman Javier Betancourt. His throw to first in plenty of time for the second out while the runner from second advances to third base.
Now, here is where you MUST pay attention. Ficociello is a good player. He bats in the No. 4 spot in the lineup and he’s hitting .307 following Friday night’s game. He’s also a good fielding first baseman. In this instance, however, he made a mistake.
Instead of stepping off the base and tossing the ball back to the pitcher for the next batter, Ficociello spun around and fired the ball back at Bentancourt, like a first baseman is supposed to do following a putout. You know, the around-the-horn thing to get the ball back to the pitcher.
Oooops. Hey, Dominic, remember that guy at third base?
The throw from Ficociello whistled past Betancourt’s head and into center field. Bentancourt spun and gave Ficociello a “HUH?” kind of look and Ficociello immediately realized what he had done. Yup, the go-ahead run trotted across the plate.
But all ended well when, in the home half of the eighth inning, Jeff Holm doubled past the Peoria right fielder, chasing home Wynton Bernard and Betancourt with the tying and go-ahead runs. And the Whitecaps held on to win, 3-2 for their seventh consecutive “W.”
All is forgiven, Dominic. You gave us a moment of pleasure and the Whitecaps gave us a night to remember.
Ya-HOOOOOO!!!!