Over their four-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals, there was very little to enjoy for the Los Angeles Dodgers. One of the few lighthearted moments of an eventual sweep of the Dodgers came on an embarrassing play by Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna.
Ozuna tracked a Kiké Hernandez fly ball into deep left field and scaled the wall in left field in an attempt to catch it. That was only to watch the ball land on the warning track and bounce over his head as he dove back toward the field.
Ozuna appeared motionless after his awkward fall, lying facedown long enough for a Cardinals trainer to run out and check on him. He soon got up and played the rest of the game, apparently more humiliated than injured.
The Dodgers’ bullpen, located just on the other side of that fence, had a front-row seat to the blunder, and several relievers were seen on camera laughing at Ozuna’s mistake, particularly Kenley Jansen.
Jansen, still laughing, later said the play reminded him of former Dodgers teammate Yasiel Puig, per SportsNet LA:
“Man, I feel embarrassed for (Ozuna). I know he might’ve been in pain when he fell down but at the same time he probably wanted to dig a hole so he could hide in it the rest of the game. I think his GPS didn’t work that well. I think he might have that — I don’t want to say it — but the Puig GPS. Yeah, it was funny.”
Like Jansen, Hernandez enjoyed Ozuna’s misfortune. The two are close friends and have prior history as Ozuna climbed the fence to rob Hernandez in 2017 during a game between the Dodgers and Miami Marlins.
Hernandez joked the double was the favorite of his career and his only hope was that the ball would’ve connected with Ozuna’s head.