Pirates 1B Will Craig knows he will now be on blooper reels forever originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Pirates first baseman Will Craig has caught literally countless force outs in his life, but for some reason on Thursday afternoon his brain went blank when it came time to step on first once again.
Craig chased Cubs runner Javier Baez back down the first base line toward home plate instead of simply stepping on the bag to end the inning, and his mental error – which allowed an improbably run to score and Baez to end up on second – instantly went viral.
On Friday, Craig held a virtual press conference with local reporters to open up about that moment.
While it can be excused that he attempted to tag Baez rather than step on first, something first basemen do regularly when pulled off the bag, Craig admitted his brain went “numb” when it came to the toss to the catcher that caused things to escalate.
“As soon as I released the ball, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I doing? I know better than that,’ ” Craig told reporters. “It’s simple Baseball 101. But I guess in my mind, when I saw him running back, I just kind of lost my mind for a second.”
The veteran told the media that he had received countless calls and texts of support from those close to him, including his manager who wanted to remind Craig that one mistake doesn’t define him.
At the same time, for as much as he has tried to avoid rewatching the play, Craig knows it will show up in highlights for a long, long time.
“I’m going to end up on a blooper reel,” Craig said. “For the rest of my life, probably.”