New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson (28) runs back to first base during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Donaldson makes baserunning blunder thinking he hit home run

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 10/11/22

Josh Donaldson made an embarrassing mistake on the bases during Game 1 of the ALDS Tuesday night between his New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians.

Donaldson was batting in the bottom of the 5th inning against Cal Quantrill in a 1-1 game and hit a 1-0 pitch to right field. The ball looked like it was heading out, but it hit off the top of the wall and bounced back onto the field at Yankee Stadium.

Donaldson had broken into his home run trot and rounded first when Cleveland threw the ball back in and played it like a live ball. They ended up tagging Donaldson for an out.

Josh Donaldson thought he homered and got thrown out after trotting around first base pic.twitter.com/zw9gOJcNI1

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 12, 2022

Here is a close-up replay of the ball:

Josh Donaldson comes THIS close to a home run

This ended up as a long single.pic.twitter.com/m4o9cm9V7q

— Covers (@Covers) October 12, 2022

My first question after that mistake was to ask where the Yankees’ first base coach was and why he didn’t tell Donaldson to run hard or stay on the base.

Well, now we know: first base coach Travis Chapman was busy celebrating the “home run” with Donaldson.

pic.twitter.com/1opdTXZfQR

— Baseball Images that Precede Unfortunate Events (@UnfortunateMLB) October 12, 2022

That was a mistake.

Officially, that went as a single for Donaldson, who was then tagged out on the bases.

Donaldson is lucky that his Yankees added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth on an Anthony Rizzo two-run home run. New York won the game 4-1 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: