Victor Robles failed to make play while holding strategy card in his mouth, a breakdown #mariners

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the score is close as the game enters its final moments. Right fielder Victor Robles of the Washington Nationals takes his position, holding a positioning strategy card in his mouth as he prepares for the next play. As the batter hits a line drive to right field, Robles quickly moves to field the ball, but he fails to make the play cleanly. The ball gets past Robles, allowing the batter to reach second base for a double. Robles looks down at his strategy card, which appears to have been in his mouth during the play. "Yeah, well, I was in the right spot, so that's good," he says, acknowledging that he was positioned correctly according to the information on the card. However, the defensive lapse has given the opposing team, the Toronto Blue Jays, a runner in scoring position with the game still hanging in the balance. Robles glances back at his positioning chart, seemingly to reorient himself for the next batter. "All right, well, let's just get in position for the next one," he remarks, determined to make up for the miscue. The broadcast team discusses whether the strategy card in Robles' mouth may have impacted his ability to properly track the ball. "Do you think it got in the way? I mean, did it block his view down?" one of the commentators ponders. They note that when they tested holding a piece of paper in their own mouth, it did appear to partially obstruct their downward line of sight. Upon further review, the broadcast provides an overlay showing Robles' positioning on the previous batter compared to this play. "He's a little closer and, uh, this batter, he's a little further back. That's what the card is telling him," the analyst explains. However, they also note that Robles was "kind of backtracking" to get into position as the ball was released, which may have contributed to the defensive lapse. The broadcast team then poses the question to viewers at home: "What do you guys think? A, the card blocked his view. B, he wasn't ready in time and they kind of snuck up on him. C, all of the above. D, none of the above - stuff happens." The outcome of the game now hangs in the balance, with the Nationals looking to regroup and limit the damage from Robles' missed play.