Throwing Gloves Never Gets Old

During a Philadelphia Phillies versus Washington Nationals game on May 13, SS Jean Segura threw his glove at a bouncing ball going by him at second base.

Segura had no chance of stopping the ball, and even if he did, he would not have thrown out OF Juan Soto running to first. The practice of fielders throwing their glove at a ball they cannot reach is common in Little League, so seeing a pro do that is quite amusing. Segura’s desperate act brings up memories of 2013 when SP Clayton Kershaw threw his glove at a bunted ball against the Colorado Rockies but then barehanded it and still got the out. Considering the three-base penalty attached if the glove makes contact with the ball, per MLB rules 5.06(b)(4)(B) and 5.06(b)(4)(C), it is baffling that professional baseball players would try something so detrimental to their team. And given how coaches get so frustrated at middle schoolers doing this, it is a wonder why fielders still try something so hopeless. Let’s go through the fielder’s mindset and if they have any chance of hitting the ball and making an out.

Speaking from my own experience playing youth baseball, typically when a fielder throws his glove, the ball is well out of reach. Additionally, throwing gloves happens far more often during practice than in actual games, which makes the decisions of Segura and Kershaw even more confusing. They were pretty close to the ball in both cases, meaning they did not have to throw their gloves. Kershaw still made the play on his own, and if you watch Segura’s play again, you will notice he is close enough to dive. The ball bounces only a few feet to his right, well within range to layout for one, so why doesn’t he?

The answer may lie in the specific players involved. Segura has had a nice career, but he is not known for his defense. His career fielding percentage (.972) is below league average, and his zero defensive runs saved in 2021 and – 0.7 ultimate zone rating are right around league average. His metrics may not seem relevant here, but I think a better defender would not consider throwing their glove. If a second baseman thinks there is even a chance they can reach a groundball, they will reach out for it with their bodies and not their equipment. As a weaker defender, Segura did not think he could catch the ball and resorted to a baser instinct.

Kershaw has won a Gold Glove in his career, but he is not considered one of the best fielding pitchers. In general, pitchers are weaker fielders than position players for obvious reasons, and little dribblers back to the mound or down the line tend to be the plays they struggle with the most. In the heat of the moment against the Rockies, I think he panicked a little bit. He threw his glove right away before realizing the ball was playable for him. Since the penalty for making contact is the equivalent of a triple, it is a good thing that Segura and Kershaw missed with their gloves. This isn’t a criticism; it is confounding more than anything that they would risk so much.

Even if there was no rule against deliberately blocking the ball with a piece of equipment, it is challenging to hit the ball with a glove. First of all, no one at any level of baseball trains to accurately throw their glove, much less at a small object moving fast. Arm accuracy is an essential part of defense, but throwing a baseball is much easier than throwing a glove. Even from a distance of just a few feet, the glove catches the wind and gets dragged down by gravity, unlike a ball designed to be aerodynamic. In addition, fielders rarely throw at moving targets since teammates are covering the bases, and even if that is not the case, they still know to throw in the vicinity of the bases.

Segura has a minimal amount of time to decide how to stop the ball going by him. He only chooses to throw his glove once he thinks he can’t reach it, so he already has less time to hit the ball before it is in the outfield. In less than half a second, he throws his glove toward a tiny area where the ball could be. His throw is short, but even if it weren’t, the ball would have skipped by. The chance of success is just too low for a player to hit a ball going 80-plus mph right by him. Maybe if a player planned on throwing his glove in the first place, which he should not do, he would be able to stop the ball.

For the sake of competitive success, there is no reason whatsoever for fielders to throw their gloves at a batted ball. But for the sake of fan entertainment, I hope we see more occasional goofs like this.

Cover photo courtesy of Todd Kirkland/Getty Images