Odubel Herrera's badly misplays fly ball, jumps for it anyway

Playing centerfield is no easy task. Generally, the best defensive outfielder gets put out there, and is viewed as the leader of the outfield.

With that said, even the best centerfielders can make mistakes. That’s precisely what happened to Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera on Thursday.

In the eighth inning, Marlins catcher Jeff Mathis hit a line shot out to Herrera in center. Herrera’s first step was toward the infield, and that proved to be a costly mistake. Herrera’s poor read led to the ball sailing over his head by a fairly great distance.

Despite the mistake, Herrera still tried to make up for the misread. As the ball was flying overhead, Herrera furiously launched in the air, making an attempt for the ball. He was no where close to making the play, though he got some good air on the jump. We’ll give him credit for that.

Due to Herrera’s gaffe, Mathis was able to reach third. Because Herrera didn’t make contact with the ball, he wasn’t charged with an error. That meant Mathis was rewarded with his first triple of the season, and fourth triple of his career.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Baseball contest now]

Things would get worse for the Phillies two batters later, as pitcher Tom Koehler drove in Mathis with a single. Miami would go on to win the game 9-3. Herrera’s play didn’t really factor into the loss, but it was embarrassing nonetheless.

(BLS H/N: SBNation)

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – – –

Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik