Phillies fan holding baby adds to broadcaster's embarrassment with one-hand grab

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
Updated

If the Philadelphia Phillies up and down season could be summed up in one highlight, this might be it.

Radio analyst Kevin Frandsen, who spent nine seasons in the big leagues as a sure-handed infielder, provided the down by blowing an easy foul ball catch during Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Making matters worse for Frandsen, he was completely shown up by a Phillies fan, whose one-handed catch while holding a baby was the Phillies highlight of the night and a beacon of hope amid another lackluster performance.

Let’s break both plays down.

Fan steals the show

It’s all about the level of difficulty and the level of concentration required.

The baby-holding fan had a lot to process in a short amount of time. Most importantly, he had to keep the baby safe. That was priority No. 1. The second objective was to add a souvenir to the experience.

Amazingly, he did both without much trouble at all. In fact, he made it look way too easy.

Phillies broadcaster boots it

On the other hand, Frandsen’s chance was about as easy as they come. It was a gift-wrapped foul ball that hit him right in the hands, and then bounced off his hands before dropping down to the seats below.

Frandsen hasn’t heard the end of it since then. He was teased endlessly on the Phillies television broadcast, and he’s hearing it from the Phillies faithful on social media as well.

Even former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Ike Reese got in on the fun.

Clearly, it’s not a moment that Frandsen will live down easily.

Symbolic of Phillies season

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the botch provided a distraction for Phillies fans as their team fell to eight games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East standings.

But Frandsen’s drop might end up being more symbolic of the Phillies many missed opportunities to create distance in the NL Wild Card race.

Instead of taking care of business, the Phillies find themselves tied with the Milwaukee Brewers. Right behind them within striking distance are the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Yes, the New York Mets could pass the Phillies before the week ends.

There’s no margin for error now in Philadelphia. Not even a bobble.

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