Tanner Roark consoling Yasiel Puig after Puig's error is one of the best 'good teammate' moments of the season
Few moments on the baseball diamond feel as lonely or crushing as when something goes wrong. A pitcher misplaces a fastball, a fielder makes a throwing error or, in the case of Yasiel Puig in the Reds' 3-1 loss to the Braves on Wednesday night, a quick decision in the outfield goes awry.
With the game tied, 1-1, in the top of the fifth, Nick Markakis hit a soft liner off Tanner Roark toward Puig in right field. Caught in no-man's-land, Puig tried to scoop the ball up and it skipped past him to the wall, plating a run and, in effect, serving as the pivotal play in the game.
Puig was upset, as you'd be if you had that happen to you after taking a chance in right field. Roark, who wound up taking the loss on the evening, exhibited a perfect moment of sportsmanship and, frankly, what it means to be a teammate by consoling Puig in the dugout after the play.
That right there, folks, is how it's done. Things will not go your way every time in anything -- life, baseball, anything -- but why get upset? And if somebody else's mistake affects you in the way Roark's evening was affected by Puig's misplay, showing this kind of "No sweat, we'll get 'em next time" attitude goes a long way.