Jonathan India part of Royals' base running blunder that'll give Reds fans flashbacks

One of the biggest reasons that former Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell was fired with less than a week to go in the 2024 season was due to constant mental mistakes on the part of his team. Specifically, mistakes on the base paths.

Desite Bell being replaced by future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona, the Reds' poor base running reared its ugly head on Opening Day. Reds' newcomer Gavin Lux foolishly tried to advance to third base on a ground ball single off the bat of Jeimer Candelario in the bottom of the third inning.

Instead of a 3-0 lead and runners on first and second with two outs, Lux's miscue left Cincinnati with Candelario aboard at first base and there were now two outs. Reds' broadcaster Barry Larkin was not happy, and claimed that Tito will get those types of mistakes cleaned up.

Jonathan India involved of Royals' base running blunder that'll give Reds fans flashbacks

But as bad as Lux's faux pas was, it pales in comparison to the Kansas City Royals' late-game gaffe that cost them two base runners, and perhaps the game. Former Reds infielder Jonathan India was involved, and there's no doubt that this play will give Cincinnati fans flashbacks to last season.

With runners on the corners, no outs, and Kansas City trailing the Cleveland Guardians 4-3, India rolled over a 2-2 pitch and sent a grounder to the third baseman. The dreaded contact play that Reds fans hate so much was on the full display. Guardians' third baseman Jose Ramirez immediately threw home and the Royals' base runner was caught in a rundown.

But it got worse. The Royals runner who began the at-bat on first, got stuck in no-man's land between second and third after the tag was applied for the first out of the inning. The Guardians quickly caught KC's runner in a pickle and eventually tagged him out. When it was all over, India's weak grounder resulted with him standing on second base with two outs.

KC would eventually tie the game in the ninth, but lost in extra innings by a final score of 7-4. The Royals ran themselves right out of an inning; something Reds fans saw all too often during David Bell's tenure at the helm in Cincinnati. Hopefully Lux's mistake on the base paths is one of the few blunders Reds fans have to witness this season.

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