Cooper Ingle’s June gaffe against Rangers could end up looming large for Guardians

A lot can happen over the course of the 162-game MLB season. Hits are recorded, wins are tacked on and countless fly outs and ground balls are recorded in box scores and immediately forgotten. 

But one play that hasn’t been forgotten by Guardians fans came on June 30 when the Rangers took the lead over the Guardians after rookie Cooper Ingle tossed the ball in the stands after catching the second out of the inning. 

Normally, the legacy for a play like that would be countless inclusions in YouTube compilations featuring sport misplays. But that play could end up looming large for the Guardians down the stretch as they attempt to chase down the Rangers in the postseason standings. 

The Rangers' tiebreaker over the Guardians could determine whether Cleveland makes the postseason

Ingle’s play came at a crucial point in a game that ended up being a 4-2 win for the Rangers. After shoving for six innings, Bibee surrendered a leadoff single to Ezequiel Duran, who advanced to second base on an Evan Carter groundout. 

He was standing at second base on Ingle’s misplay, which meant he was able to score by the letter of Rule 5.06(b)(4)(G), which awards a baserunner two bases when a player throws a ball out of the field of play. 

To Ingle’s credit, he took accountability for the play after the game and said it was something that would never happen again. Whether the misplay was due to him settling into the outfield, general rookie jitters or something else, it was a mistake that loomed large in a close loss. 

It could also loom large at the end of September by virtue of this year’s American League Wild Card tiebreaker standings. 

Although the Rangers are now the leaders of the American League West thanks to their win over the White Sox on Monday, they entered play on Monday in possession of the American League’s final Wild Card spot.

And the reason they were in hold of that spot? The fact they held a tiebreaker over the Guardians. 

Both teams had a 65-66 record, but the Rangers held the spot thanks to the fact they took four of six games against Cleveland this season (head-to-head record is the first criteria that’s used to break tiebreakers). 

While Ingle’s misplay wasn’t the only reason the Guardians lost that game against the Rangers, it surely didn’t help (and also brought the go-ahead run across the board). 

The good news for the Guardians is that they’re now in sole possession of that Wild Card spot thanks to their win over the Angels on Monday combined with that Rangers win over the White Sox. 

The Rangers are now leading the American League West by a 1/2 game over the Astros (who were idle on Monday), which meant the Guardians jumped past Houston in the Wild Card standings as well. 

That said, the Guardians also don’t have the tiebreaker over the Astros, so the same tiebreaker scenario could end up coming into play with Houston. 

It’s also worth noting that a lot can happen between now and the end of the season that could render the Guardians’ lack of a tiebreaker over the Rangers irrelevant (in either a good or bad way). 

But if that does end up impacting the Guardians’ ability to make the postseason, Ingle’s misplay could end up being a bigger factor than it already is. 

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